Cheap Bass Traps

mep · Jan 28, 2013

This is not going to be for some of you that have million dollar rooms that would be right at home in any number of magazines that show off million dollar rooms. This is also not for those who live under the shadow of their wives and the eternal shackle known as WAF. For those of you that don't have a million bucks and yet you control the looks of your listening room, I have a bargain for you to check out. Here is the website: http://www.nextacoustics.com/cornerblox-bass-traps/

For $59.00 plus shipping, you receive four 24" tall bass traps to place in the front corners of your room (at least that is where I placed mine-one at the bottom and one at the top of each corner on the left and right sides of the front wall). I don't have room response snapshots of my room which shows the bass response looking like the Himalaya Mountains before treatment and the state of Kansas after treatment, but I can tell you that it increases the *articulation* of the room and brings you another step closer to sounding much better, quieter, and cleaner than it did before. This is the best $59 I have ever spent in terms of sound improvement. Now mind you that the front of my room is already extensively treated on the rear wall and the side walls, so I can't guarantee that just adding four of these in an otherwise untreated room will bring the same results; but hey, it's $59.

microstrip · Jan 28, 2013

Mep,

Although they do not have the word quantum written in their marketing, the technical details they supply are on level with the information given about some items we have been debating in another thread ...

BTW1 I love their motto - Sound Control Reinvented!
BTW2 Did you make any blind tests?

JackD201 · Jan 28, 2013

I couldn't find the absorption coefficient numbers. Anyway, if they are good, it takes very little to make these "purdy".

mep · Jan 28, 2013

No blind tests micro, but then I know you knew that. Some people swear by them, but I seriously doubt anyone owns a stereo system that was the result of blind testing. As your room becomes quieter due to the structure of the room becoming more quiet, it is the equivalent of gaining more volume of the sound you want to hear. Even though these corner traps are fairly small at 24" each, I found myself turning down the volume after they were installed because the music became louder. I do trust my ears, and I knew if I didn't like what these bass traps did, I was only out $59 which is less than I spend for some LPs.

This may just be a temporary step on the way to some *real* corner bass traps, but there is no doubt they affected a positive change in my room. And Jack, they could stand to be made more "purdy." They are black/charcoal colored and my other sound absorption panels are sand or beige colored except for two of them that they didn't match the dye lots.

Kal Rubinson · Jan 28, 2013

JackD201 said:
I couldn't find the absorption coefficient numbers. Anyway, if they are good, it takes very little to make these "purdy".

They quote an NRC number but it is not clear how that was measured. They also refer to tests made at Riverbank Acoustical Labs but, again, do not provide any additional info. Typically, such foams are less efficient absorbers than are mineral wool products but, at the prices offered here, they may be economically efficient.

microstrip · Jan 28, 2013

mep said:
No blind tests micro, but then I know you knew that. Some people swear by them, but I seriously doubt anyone owns a stereo system that was the result of blind testing. As your room becomes quieter due to the structure of the room becoming more quiet, it is the equivalent of gaining more volume of the sound you want to hear. Even though these corner traps are fairly small at 24" each, I found myself turning down the volume after they were installed because the music became louder. I do trust my ears, and I knew if I didn't like what these bass traps did, I was only out $59 which is less than I spend for some LPs.

This may just be a temporary step on the way to some *real* corner bass traps, but there is no doubt they affected a positive change in my room. And Jack, they could stand to be made more "purdy." They are black/charcoal colored and my other sound absorption panels are sand or beige colored except for two of them that they didn't match the dye lots.

My concern is that if they should be called bass traps. Considering size and material, my idea is that they are acting mainly in the very high bass zone or lower middle. Just MHO.

JackD201 · Jan 28, 2013

Kal Rubinson said:
They quote an NRC number but it is not clear how that was measured. They also refer to tests made at Riverbank Acoustical Labs but, again, do not provide any additional info. Typically, such foams are less efficient absorbers than are mineral wool products but, at the prices offered here, they may be economically efficient.

Yup, my thoughts exactly unless this is some type of variable cell density foam and not a homogenous density cell foam. If it's the latter, adding a few more would still make them affordable.

As far as prettify-ing them, a frame, some acoustically transparent fabric, presto....purdy. Just remember to stretch the fabric while it's very cold so it won't sag later.

JackD201 · Jan 28, 2013

microstrip said:
My concern is that if they should be called bass traps. Considering size and material, my idea is that they are acting mainly in the very high bass zone or lower middle. Just MHO.

That is the case with the majority of the products on the market expensive because the majority of products are velocity type traps like this one. Only the very large ones do good work below 60 or 80Hz unless you use a LOT of them.

FrantzM · Jan 28, 2013

microstrip said:
My concern is that if they should be called bass traps. Considering size and material, my idea is that they are acting mainly in the very high bass zone or lower middle. Just MHO.

I am with you there. Specs are not clear and the material looks too small for serious "bass" trapping ... There is not real specs on the products either.

@mep

Measuring while not easy is quite approachable these days You may give REW a chance it is a free but powerful and extremely useful software. Learning curve is somewhat steep. You need a good sound card Power for the microphone, a microphone stand and some cables... Total cost <$250. You'll get all the waterfalls, Frequency responses, RT and more with this free software

This blog (CLICK HERE) provides an excellent step-by-step tutorial.

microstrip · Jan 29, 2013

FrantzM said:
(...) Measuring while not easy is quite approachable these days You may give REW a chance it is a free but powerful and extremely useful software. Learning curve is somewhat steep. You need a good sound card Power for the microphone, a microphone stand and some cables... Total cost <$250. You'll get all the waterfalls, Frequency responses, RT and more with this free software

This blog (CLICK HERE) provides an excellent step-by-step tutorial.

Mep,

I strongly suggest you go this way. A Behringer ECM8000 and an excellent USB soundcard will cost you now even less. If you go for the Behringer remember you need a soundcard with 48V phantom power.
As far as I have understood from this forum and my experience, although the data you get is not of immediate interpretation, the differences between before and after are much easier to understand and correlate with the treatments. Besides you will have a lot of fun and feel accomplished when you start doing the correct treatments and your listening goes in the same direction as the measurements!

mep · Jan 29, 2013

Ok, let's don't call these corner bass traps. Let's just call them corner traps. They are bringing something positive to the table. As for setting up REW, steep learning curves, buying microphones, stands, and some other hardware, which is the best way to go and what is the real list of gear to buy and instructions on how to use it? Frantz, your instructions talked about a receiver.

edorr · Jan 29, 2013

Not to go off topic, but the gold standard in cheap and effective corner bass traps is still buying a bunch of 2" x 24" x 48" acoustic panels isolation material, cutting it up in 4 triangles, and stacking it up in the corners, and putting a fabric frame in front of it. Bit of work, but cheap and effective.

http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showt...ays-beneficial&p=142368&viewfull=1#post142368

mep · Jan 29, 2013

edorr said:
Not to go off topic, but the gold standard in cheap and effective corner bass traps is still buying a bunch of 2" x 24" x 48" acoustic panels isolation material, cutting it up in 4 triangles, and stacking it up in the corners, and putting a fabric frame in front of it. But of work, but cheap and effective.

http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showt...ays-beneficial&p=142368&viewfull=1#post142368

I would rather have a bit of work than a *but* of work.

edorr · Jan 29, 2013

mep said:
I would rather have a bit of work than a *but* of work.

Fixed!

FrantzM · Jan 29, 2013

mep said:
Ok, let's don't call these corner bass traps. Let's just call them corner traps. They are bringing something positive to the table. As for setting up REW, steep learning curves, buying microphones, stands, and some other hardware, which is the best way to go and what is the real list of gear to buy and instructions on how to use it? Frantz, your instructions talked about a receiver.

Receiver or preamp same thing. You have to connect it to your gear to inject the signal. That's all.

THe ECM 8000 cost a little less about $5 less. They are virtually the same microphones. I bought a calibrated version of the ECM 8000 from this company. IT takes a while to "master" but following this step by step you will be measuring in no time.

More than useful , I would call it necessary. Once the bass is tamed via Room treatments or better EQ (for the record I consider EQ subwoofers a necessity for best bass in a room) . You can see your room and start enjoying a better reproduction in your own home. it takes a while and I am not sure an amateur can beat the better room designers. You may however better your system and that to me is worth the small investment. I bought my Tascam a while back from eBay for less than $50. There are some right now. You need a few cables , you can find them at any musicians store(Sam Ash or equiv.) or Radio Shack same for the microphone stand. New $250... ebay/used less than $200. You don't need to buy a pre-calibrated microphone but it is better to have one.

I have no doubt they bring something positive. To know what they are doing and how to make your mancave better. You need to measure. You simply can't do it by ear alone. You will however finesse the results with your ears. The measurements have to be the starting points. You may find yourself buying larger bass traps. You can even make your own if you feel DIY inclined. Measurements also help in placing subs and setting their various controls.

mep · Jan 29, 2013

Frantz-what new costs $250 and used cost less than $200? I already have a mic stand. If I have the Tascam unit, does that mean I don't need to fool with a soundcard?

FrantzM · Jan 29, 2013

mep said:
Frantz-what new costs $250 and used cost less than $200? I already have a mic stand. If I have the Tascam unit, does that mean I don't need to fool with a soundcard?

Correct! the Tascam is the sound card an external one at that. it accepts the input from the microphone and send it to the PC for REW to process it. If you have a soundcard capable of Phantom power ( I doubt it) you don;t need the Tascam. It is not recomended to use your PC onboard soundcard.

If you go used:

Tascam US-122 about $50 (eBay)
Dayton EMM-6 calibrated about $90
Cables $50

mep · Jan 29, 2013

What software are you playing through your stereo system for the microphone to hear and send to the REW to process?

FrantzM · Jan 29, 2013

mep said:
What software are you playing through your stereo system for the microphone to hear and send to the REW to process?

Try this .. CLICK HERE

Nyal Mellor · Jan 30, 2013

Also see here: http://www.realtraps.com/art_measuring.htm

This was originally posted on What's Best but I think the threads got deleted or achieved when's Ethan's forum was shut?

Cheap Bass Traps

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