sound insulation

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Nikoftime

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#53608 11-Dec-2009 12:31

Hi all,
Would anyone have any suggestions on products that would help limit the amount of sound that leaves and enters my home theatre room. I keep waking the kids up!!

ren1316

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#281471 11-Dec-2009 12:39

I installed sound batt ( pink batt equivalent ) in between walls. It's kinda green in colour. I've also external sound insulation material (look like those in a recording studio, spiky looking thing).

Don't forget to shut the doors.

Nikoftime

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#281473 11-Dec-2009 12:42

thanks ren,
do you have any more information on the external sound insulation material. Does it work well?Does it look OK, where do you get it from, is it difficult to install? Do you put it on all walls?

Batman

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#281478 11-Dec-2009 12:54

good luck! i had to dump by sub for that reason :(

Jaxson

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#281494 11-Dec-2009 14:06

joker97: good luck! i had to dump by sub for that reason :(

Clark Synthesis guys, or other tactile transducer. Mount rubber isolation feet to couch and you're all set for bass sensation but minus the air pressure delivery method which is not so selective on where and who it travels to.

There's a type of gib board that they recommend too if it's a new build you're working on.

wellygary

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#281516 11-Dec-2009 14:35

Nikoftime: Hi all,
Would anyone have any suggestions on products that would help limit the amount of sound that leaves and enters my home theatre room. I keep waking the kids up!!

http://www.pinkbatts.co.nz/quiet-homes/

jamesvini

132 posts

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#281533 11-Dec-2009 15:04

Head Phones?

Nah just joking.
I had a sleepout i wanted to turn in to a drum room.
I tried to use egg crates from a super market i was working at at the time as i had heard the shape of them made the difference.
suprisingly it did work to an extent. but i found alot of sound was going through the floor.
My way is cheap as but not as good.

My Opinion not anybody elses.

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Rhygar

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#281632 11-Dec-2009 19:41

There are a series of excellent articles here:

http://www.soundproofingcompany.com/library/articles/

NoelMac

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#281641 11-Dec-2009 21:04

We soundproofed the kid's bedrooms and hallway last year - not cheap, as we replaced the gib with Noiseline and noise-rated batts. Did a good job, though. I've heard that the egg carton method does work, but questionable aesthetics. Other ideas mooted have been drapes around the walls, and filling wall cavities with foam... Have fun - might be easier to get either earphones for the HT room, or earplugs for the kids! ;-)

Good luck...

timestyles

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#281642 11-Dec-2009 21:09

Apparently the best way to absorb low frequency sound is to have ball bearings covered in rubber, and make a wall out of that. Obviously it's an extreme solution. Another non-ideal solution is to give the children ear plugs, you can get them at a safety shop. Note that the first few days you try them, they are likely to get sore ears as the skin inside the ear canal is quite sensitive, since it doesn't come into contact with anything. After a few nights the skin thickens and it's ok. One other solution is to have a CD playing in the bedroom, Ocean Harmonies by Ken Davis is quite good.

richms

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#281666 11-Dec-2009 23:24

So long as its loud enough that you cant hear the kids crying, what's the problem? ;)

Basically to stop bass you need to go the whole hog with soundproofing, just the batts and some gib will not do much. Need the steel battens and stuff (cant recall the name of it) - doors with the multiple layers and heavy construction, proper door jambs with sealing stripps, propper installtion of it all, and even then its only 15-20dB off if you are lucky.

Plus finding a builder with a clue in NZ is like finding an appointment at a medical specialist - the ones that are left here are all booked up to 3 xmases from now.

Richard rich.ms

NZWizzkid

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#281936 13-Dec-2009 13:35

http://www.soundproofing101.com/

Haveing the room soundproofed also has its down sides that you may wish to address as you modify the room.

Include a telephone in the room so you can tell the phone is ringing or at least a light that flashes as indication.
Include the bell/light for the front doorbell - How else can you tell when the Pizza has arrived.
Include a siren from the alarm system - Specifically I am thinking about FIRE (Boy it is getting warm in here)
Lastly - A sound proofed room is generally air tight - Air conditioning will be needed - then there is the issue with the amount of noise the air-conditioner makes - so it needs to be sound proofed, and on it goes. Somewhere you have to draw a compromise, $$$$

Colin

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buzzy

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#282252 14-Dec-2009 12:46

Just turn down the volume? It's quick, cheap, and easy...

smarsden

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#282283 14-Dec-2009 13:37

buzzy: Just turn down the volume? It's quick, cheap, and easy...

Along these lines, does your receiver have a 'Night mode' option (or similar). My Denon one has this, which reduces the impact of the bottom end and top end audio in three steps (low, medium, high - or off altogether, i.e. Night Mode not used). Normally I have it set to off to get the full impact of the movie, but once the kids are in bed I use Night Mode, first at low, then as it gets later, move to medium.

Each step progressively takes more 'presence' out of the audio, but without affecting the ability to hear the critical dialogue etc (which is what turning the volume down would do, as that would turn everything down). It's usually big explosions or high-pitched shrieks that would disturb kids, and Night Mode minimises the intensity of these very effectively.

richms

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#282315 14-Dec-2009 14:27

I have had mixed results with night mode on my crappy pioneer reciver. Sometimes it will fade the dialog right back when there is something else happening, othertimes it lets loud stuff thru and then kicks in halfway thru the explosion.

I have had good luck with the new (to me at least) thing in windows 7 in the sound propertys that seems to apply it at the windows mixer level to compress the dynamics.

Richard rich.ms