ateal
Super Member
Well I finally got around to making up a set of six 4’ high x 2’ wide x 2” thick acoustic panels after years of thinking about it and all I can say is WOWZER!!!, what a massive return for a relatively small investment (read more for details of cost). To put it simply the benefit is equal in magnitude to moving from a $45 Audio Technica Moving Magnet Cartridge to a $1,000 + Koetsu Low Output Moving Coil Cartridge but at a tiny fraction of the price. Every serious audio enthusiast needs to hold off on spending money on higher and higher end gear until they treat their room.
I knew the introduction of acoustic panels was going to be beneficial but was not sure how beneficial and what the results would be. For example I knew it would reduce the echo effect of the sounds bouncing around the hard surfaces of the wall and I also read it could take the edge off higher frequencies and make the sound smoother. I also knew that lower frequencies were much harder to tame and would require a lot more treatment than six panels, and I was good with that. But when I set them up and put the needle down on the first track I was ecstatic with what I heard.
Before last night I thought I had an amazing audio system with great tone, soundstage, detail, imaging etc, etc., but once I placed these panels in position the soundstaging and imaging got so much better, the resolution so much clearer, the sound was also so much smoother. A big smile appeared on my face and I immediately started to think of building 6 more panels as they are so easy and cheap to make.
There are many videos online of how to make acoustic panels but I tried to keep mine simple yet sturdy with an air gap behind the insulation. The shopping list is as follows.
1) 11 pieces of 8’ long x 4” x 1” Spruce Pine Furring from Lowes - $1.86 each / $21 total
2) 75 count box of 1 ½” wood screws from Lowes - $5.98/box
3) Elmers wood glue from Lowes - $1.98
4) Box of misc. size small nails from Lowes - $2.00
5) Staple gun and staples from Lowes - $18
6) 2” thick Roxul Rockboard 60 mineral wool insulation (Box of six 4’ x 2’ panels) from Amazon - $95 incl. shipping
7) 6 yards of 60” wide black Burlap from Fabric Direct - $38 incl. shipping
8) Total Cost - $182 or $30 per panel
Step by Step Build.
Cut 6 of the lengths of 1” x 4” exactly in half. These will be the side rails.
Cut 18 pieces exactly 23 ¾” long. This allows you to get 4 even lengths out of the 8’ long Pine. These will be the top, bottom and middle rails.
Fix the top and bottom rails using screws and glue. I added a staple fixings for extra security.
Fix the center rail using glue and screws but be sure to recess these 2” from the front face of the panel. That way the insulation will sit flush with the front of the panel.
Cut the remaining 1” x 4” into equal sized triangles. These will be glued and nailed and will also be recessed 2” from the front face of the panel.
If all the above has been done correctly you should have 6 beautiful and sturdy frames ready to accept the insulation panel. Like these I prepared earlier (notice the 2" recess from the front). From start to finish these frames took me approx. 4hrs to build.
After you have your frames complete, allow 24 hours for wood glue to fully set.
Next step is to insert the insulation which is very easy if you have made the frames correctly. The only thing you will need to do is cut the acoustic panel down with a sharp kitchen knife (don't tell the wife!!) to approximately 46 ½” in length. Measure your panels just to make sure. The width should be fine as you can squeeze the 24" insulation into the 23 ¾” internal width of the frame. Once complete they should look like this. By using 4" wide lumber instead of 2" to match the thickness of the insulation, you create 1 ½" of air space between the insulation and your wall surface which further improves acoustic insulation.
Now because I haven't received my black Burlap yet and because I am a very impatient kinda guy, I had try these panels out.
Here they are placed temporarily in my listening room. I will update this thread with further instructions once I wrap with the black burlap and permanently hang on the wall. As mentioned earlier they are so effective I have already ordered the materials to make another six panels, but this time in Avocado color for contrast.
I knew the introduction of acoustic panels was going to be beneficial but was not sure how beneficial and what the results would be. For example I knew it would reduce the echo effect of the sounds bouncing around the hard surfaces of the wall and I also read it could take the edge off higher frequencies and make the sound smoother. I also knew that lower frequencies were much harder to tame and would require a lot more treatment than six panels, and I was good with that. But when I set them up and put the needle down on the first track I was ecstatic with what I heard.
Before last night I thought I had an amazing audio system with great tone, soundstage, detail, imaging etc, etc., but once I placed these panels in position the soundstaging and imaging got so much better, the resolution so much clearer, the sound was also so much smoother. A big smile appeared on my face and I immediately started to think of building 6 more panels as they are so easy and cheap to make.
There are many videos online of how to make acoustic panels but I tried to keep mine simple yet sturdy with an air gap behind the insulation. The shopping list is as follows.
1) 11 pieces of 8’ long x 4” x 1” Spruce Pine Furring from Lowes - $1.86 each / $21 total
2) 75 count box of 1 ½” wood screws from Lowes - $5.98/box
3) Elmers wood glue from Lowes - $1.98
4) Box of misc. size small nails from Lowes - $2.00
5) Staple gun and staples from Lowes - $18
6) 2” thick Roxul Rockboard 60 mineral wool insulation (Box of six 4’ x 2’ panels) from Amazon - $95 incl. shipping
7) 6 yards of 60” wide black Burlap from Fabric Direct - $38 incl. shipping
8) Total Cost - $182 or $30 per panel
Step by Step Build.
Cut 6 of the lengths of 1” x 4” exactly in half. These will be the side rails.
Cut 18 pieces exactly 23 ¾” long. This allows you to get 4 even lengths out of the 8’ long Pine. These will be the top, bottom and middle rails.
Fix the top and bottom rails using screws and glue. I added a staple fixings for extra security.
Fix the center rail using glue and screws but be sure to recess these 2” from the front face of the panel. That way the insulation will sit flush with the front of the panel.
Cut the remaining 1” x 4” into equal sized triangles. These will be glued and nailed and will also be recessed 2” from the front face of the panel.
If all the above has been done correctly you should have 6 beautiful and sturdy frames ready to accept the insulation panel. Like these I prepared earlier (notice the 2" recess from the front). From start to finish these frames took me approx. 4hrs to build.
After you have your frames complete, allow 24 hours for wood glue to fully set.
Next step is to insert the insulation which is very easy if you have made the frames correctly. The only thing you will need to do is cut the acoustic panel down with a sharp kitchen knife (don't tell the wife!!) to approximately 46 ½” in length. Measure your panels just to make sure. The width should be fine as you can squeeze the 24" insulation into the 23 ¾” internal width of the frame. Once complete they should look like this. By using 4" wide lumber instead of 2" to match the thickness of the insulation, you create 1 ½" of air space between the insulation and your wall surface which further improves acoustic insulation.
Now because I haven't received my black Burlap yet and because I am a very impatient kinda guy, I had try these panels out.
Here they are placed temporarily in my listening room. I will update this thread with further instructions once I wrap with the black burlap and permanently hang on the wall. As mentioned earlier they are so effective I have already ordered the materials to make another six panels, but this time in Avocado color for contrast.
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