Bass Traps

@bdp24

The main reason is price. ASC products are much more expensive. But there are more reasons as well: Effectiveness and sound.

The GIK Soffit traps are broad, and deep, effective in low ranges where it is difficult to get normal acoustic treatments to work, and a fraction of the cost of the ASC tube traps.

I recently went to a show in Oakland, CA which was sponsored by ASC and Pass. Every room heavily treated by ASC tube traps sucked. The midrange was missing and the bass was 1 note. The few rooms I liked either had minimal ASC or used completely different products, like Vienna Acoustics and Fritz Speakers. Honestly this was counter to my expectations. When I saw the traps in a room I immediately expected I would be treated to a great experience compared to a normal hotel room or exhibition hall.

Also GIK is very hobbyist friendly. They have experts who give much better advice than you’d get on Audiogon (including from me!) even if you aren’t going to spend a lot of money. I have never asked ASC for help, so I cannot compare on this dimension.

Best,


E

Not to hijack too hard, but any recommendations for bass traps for a very wide frequency band? I need to tame my bass between 20-200Hz. Most commercial traps seem to be more focused on a much narrower band.

The best solution I've theoretically found is a limp membrane bass trap. But man, I'll take any suggestions

GIK Monster Bass Trap with FlexRange Limiter works very well between 75hz and about 300hz, while not absorbing much above that.  Anything below 75hz really needs a tuned membrane or limp mass membrane, like the GIK Scopus.  Don’t get me wrong, the Monster Bass Trap will do some absorption under 75hz, but not as good as tuned/limp.  I have used both.

Thanks! Did you find the limp membrane traps were mostly effective with very low frequencies or were they reasonably broad?

I didn’t really test.  I made limp mass for 63hz, and am in the process of making a set for 50hz.  These are two bass nodes in my room.  Google for “tims limp mass” to see what I did.  One of the mistakes people do on these is to use Owens 703 for the damping.  The 703 is too dense and actually reduces the box area.  I used acoust-a-stuff from parts express.