Get Your Sound In Shape with Home Theater Sound Control Panels

Home theater owners are naturally searching for the best in acoustic quality with their respective home theater systems. Once the basics of sound control are understood, such as sound absorption and isolation, it is time to move on to the specifics of tackling sound control with panel design and absorptive material strategies.

When choosing the perfect panel for home theater sound control, there is a wide variety of shapes from which to choose. There are pyramids, wedges, and flat panels available for effective sound control. The reason so many shapes panels are available is because one form of absorption panel, namely those made from acoustic foam, have a less than perfect performance when the sound is received in a non-normal incidence. In other words, rather than sound reaching the panel straight on, the sound approaches at a glancing angle. For example, for a room with a panel placed on a side wall with speakers in the front of the room, foam is less than desirable because the sound has different entrance impedance. In other words, sound cannot get into the foam quite as easily as it can in some other types of absorbers generally made out of mineral wool. The solution is to cut shapes into the front of the panel. The result is visible triangular grooves and pyramids along with various other shapes that allow the smoothing of sound impedance.

The various shapes are generally more aesthetic and decorative than anything else. The panel for the side wall should always be cut in a way that it will work. Regardless of the panel shape preference, any foam shape will serve as effective sound control. However, the advantage of going with a mineral cored panel, usually using a semi-rigid fiberglass board to “rock wall the core,” is the lower entrance impedance material. There is no need to cut striations into the front of the panel in order to get them to function at non-normal incidents. However, there is a need to liberally use absorptive material in your sound panels. Regardless of the panel frame size or material, the frame should be filled to capacity with sound absorbing material.
The procedure is not expensive; therefore, there is no real savings when stopping short of capacity. The thicker the panels the better the absorption of low frequency emissions. After all, low frequencies are the non-trivial problem in small rooms. Take the proper steps to ensure the absorption of all sound frequencies to maximize your sound control.

When creating the ideal home theater experience, take particular note of sound control strategies. Not only is the shape of your sound absorption panels if importance but also the amount of sound absorbing fillers in the panel frames. Generous fillers allow for greater low frequency absorption, making for the best overall sound quality from your home theater system.