Listening rooms and doors

tony22

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Nov 4, 2019
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In going about the renovation / construction of my sound room, one of the things that will happen will be closing off the open archway into the room with double doors. I’m using double doors as it will be a more suitable match from the hallway with the double doors a bit further down. Higher WAF.

Anyway, these doors will be on the long wall, on the back (to me that means seating side) side of the space. I will be using a solid core set of doors, but the question is - how high an STC rating is too high? The standard solid core door in the ones I’m looking at is is around 31-32 dB STC, but there’s a higher cost model that claims 37 dB STC.

The (matching) opposite long wall is an exterior wall - sheet rock over insulation over an outer concrete cinder block. The wall where the doors are going (the front part where the doors won’t be :)) is also an exterior wall. So given this, do I need to worry if a very high STC is “too much” for the doors, and may throw the basic acoustic balance off? Knowing full well the room will be acoustically treated after the construction is complete.

It would help if I knew what the STC rating is for a typical concrete cinder block home construction wall.
 

Bruce B

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Apr 25, 2010
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The typical STC rating is going to be dependent upon how the door is installed. You can have a STC rating of 35-50, but unless the door is properly sealed, then you're just wasting money.
I went with "Zero International" for my doors. They were commercial solid core doors, but I added cam-lift hinges, automatic drop down thresholds, and adjustable seals around the perimeter. Think of a submarine.... if water can get in (or out), then so can sound!

Zero International
 

Brucemck2

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May 10, 2010
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The typical STC rating is going to be dependent upon how the door is installed. You can have a STC rating of 35-50, but unless the door is properly sealed, then you're just wasting money.
I went with "Zero International" for my doors. They were commercial solid core doors, but I added cam-lift hinges, automatic drop down thresholds, and adjustable seals around the perimeter. Think of a submarine.... if water can get in (or out), then so can sound!

Zero International
Ditto! Zero International has great products. There’s tremendous leakage if you don’t get it properly sealed all the way around.
 
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tony22

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Nov 4, 2019
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Jeld-wen does specify a particular seal kit for the door I’m looking at. I’ll have to check out these Zero International folks too. They also offer doors? The doors I need have to be 30”x96”. Not too easy to find in the style I need.
 

rugyboogie

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May 30, 2010
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On my Island home will be using doors from Air-Lux CH. They use an air bladder around the perimeter of the door which is activated via a build in air compressor .
Door is 100% air tight/sealed when closed and is released by pressing the compressor button to release the air. Pretty trick.
 

tony22

Well-Known Member
Nov 4, 2019
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Just to tie things together…

 

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