Corner traps and wall treatments

[jmprader]

Figured this was as good a place as any to share some fun pics of my DIY Wall treatments and corner traps. For those interested in DIY corner traps or wall panels...it's easier than you think and it does work. I am all thumbs but got a little help from my brother and his extensive tool selection, and an upholstery guy to cleanly mount my fabric. I also followed a lot of free advice from the likes of Ethan Winer, Brian Pape, Glenn of GIK acoustics, Bob Gold and several others who post on AVS and several other forums. If I can do it, anyone can.

Wall treatment panels: 2" 703 fiberglass in 2x4 simple pine frames with a little reinforcement to keep them square. The fabric is from Acoustone. It has a little more character than the more typical GOM material.

Corner Traps: There are 2 2” 2x4 703 panels in the front of each corner trap. Behind these are triangular "cotton fiber insulation" wedges. A simple but rigid 2x4 frame with a mid-section brace and a plywood base and top . We routered the front "baffle" before stretching the fabric for appearance and better durability for the fabric. In this case, the Acoustone fabric is a type typically used for replacing the cloth on pro guitar amp/speaker combos. For a little retro fun, I bought a couple of Marshall logos on E-bay and attached them.

I still think these need a little red light and a volume control that goes to 11...

Initial listening "tests" were very encouraging . I'm hoping the numbers/graphs corroborate that when time permits.

[Sonnie]

Wow... you got it decked out huh. I gotta ask... what is it that on top of the two subs... is it ports or more speakers... I can't quite make it out.

[jmprader]

Sonnie wrote:

... what is it that on top of the two subs... is it ports or more speakers... I can't quite make it out.

Those would be the detachable "turbo" units sitting on top of the "elusive" Hsu VTF-3HO subs. Some posters may concur that, between the very large corner traps and the twin turbos, I am a lucky guy to have a spouse who condones most of my toys...

[Jack Gilvey]

Very nice! The "Marshall" touch is too cool for words. One project I'd love to tackle is a 4 x 12" subwoofer "half-stack".

I'm currently working on a bunch of OC703/705 FRK panels/traps myslef, but they're much more functional-looking than yours.

[rcarlton]

The "Marshall" logo is the icing on the cake.

[jmprader]

Thanks for the comps on the Marshall logos. They are a bit of fun for me and my cronies (or is it chronies!). I'm looking for some other 60's/early 70's pix/prints to display on the walls, too...then the light organs and lava lamps...but no disco balls!

As to the traps/treatments, as I said previously there are some definite differences in room acoustics. Spouse, kids and favorite neighbors confirm things sound better and everything is more localizable. Of course, my room had "known" problems even before I got tuned in to Sonnie and John's good stuff.

FYI to anyone interested in checking it out, Kal Rubinson took up some room correction topics in this month's Stereophile, both eq and treatments. In some ways a bit obtuse for wannabes like me, but nonetheless worth taking a look at. The issues of phase response and other related topics get some air-time in an article by Keith Howard amusingly named "Wayward Down Deep". Heck, I don't understand all the physics, but I'll bet several of the smart guys moderating/posting here can help translate for us...in any event, a lot of topics on this site seem right on track, so hats off to Sonnie, John and the rest of the mods willing to dedicate time to our affliction.

[mike c]

hey there jmprader, i'm interested in DIYing some panels. I have a question about your panels, didn't you cover the back side of your panels? wouldn't the fiberglass fly around? if say, disturbed by subwoofer waves?

[jmprader]

mike c wrote:

hey there jmprader, i'm interested in DIYing some panels. I have a question about your panels, didn't you cover the back side of your panels? wouldn't the fiberglass fly around? if say, disturbed by subwoofer waves?

No noticeable problem with either the panels or cotton corner traps...but I am considering stapling sheer fabric on "one of these weekends" just because I don't like the idea of breathing little bits of fiberglass or cotton and the exposed cotton in the corner traps seems to collect dust quite readily...I just have to get around to it .

My 703 panel are mounted with just a little clearance at the backs. We haven't noticed any residual 703 anywhere in the vicinity.The corner traps are a couple inches out from each front corner. When we move them to vaccuum, a little bit of blue cotton material shows up...if we brush them against the red velvet drapes behind, that's a few more minutes of unnecessary maintenance.

The bass waves don't make a difference. Now, if an HVAC duct were nearby, that would be a problem and require fabric on the exposed sides.

Short answer: I'd recommend fabric on all exposed surfaces, cotton or 703. Use cheap stuff on out of sight surfaces.

[mike c]

thanks jmprader

[crg]

mike c wrote:

thanks jmprader

I wrap my backs with some left over muslin. Does not match the front but it does not matter once in place.

[mike c]

thanks crg, exactly what I needed to see