Sound proofing panels and other equipment - What is the best out there right now

That's the problem, I am talking to contractors who have some expertise in this area, all recommended by local audio stores, but while their knowledge level of the installation of the products they are used to is good, and I believe they will get the basics right, their knowledge of the most up to date products, and their conceptual knowledge, such as what teo_audio is discussing, the box inside a box, comes across as weak.


I may be expecting too much and I likely just need to keep dialing till I find a suitable contractor. I was hoping to identify some of the leading newer products for residential then work back from there to their trusted contractors. I may be better off starting in the industrial space.


Teo_audio has done a good job of describing the difficulty of this task. It is not easy or cheap. I have already set the expectation that there will be practical limits on the sub-woofers to keep the neighbours happy.


Fortunately it is a newer building, and while I have no doubt the neighbours will be sensitive, the walls between units are concrete as is the floor and and ceiling of course. The hall wall I expect is thinner.

mike_in_nc160 posts11-10-2019 12:30am
Ordinary contractors know next to nothing about this, so I urge you to do significant research and/or consult a professional in the field.

As others have pointed out this is both a complex and unfortunately expensive task. Traditional sound proofing routes such as room in room will not work given lack of space so the likely best option is a complete rebuild using a system such as the ASC iso damp method. My former room in Portland (see my system description) was built to this method as was Robert Harleys as described in AS earlier this year. Most contractors however can not cope with the complexity of this type of work. Look for a contractor that is experience in passive house (ie extreme energy efficiency) building techniques as these are the closest approach. 
Having done all you can the limitation will likely be the doors, this was something I was actually never able to solve despite a pair of acoustic doors into the room!

An often overlooked Catch-22 was mentioned by teo_audio, and I want to make sure it's not missed by the OP:

>> make the bass sound good -inside of that cistern.  <<

Plainly speaking, solving one problem (sound transfer) significantly worsens another (acoustics within the room), particularly in the bass. Since this is a home-theater project, the processor will probably have DSP, which will help. Still, the more successful the isolation is, the more that bass trapping will become an absolute necessity.

I won’t go over what many have said here but in your case you’re probably best attacking the weak spots to start with. It’s very difficult to suggest something without knowing the situation of the room e.g. what the floor and wall materials are and where the people that might get disturbed are. I have made gobo’s before (google acoustic gobo) with glass fibre insulation and a free hanging limp mass, whether that could be scaled up to work treat whole room I don’t know. Adding mass to the floor beneath the loudspeakers might help as well.

edit-> I just re-read your last post properly and see that most room boundaries are concrete which for sound proofing is a good thing. Perhaps try the limp mass approach on the hallway wall.

pragmasi,
Condo mid/hi-rise, typical concrete ceiling / floor and walls between units. Current interior construction typical framing and open to "modification".