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I bought some Owens Corning 703. Now what?

I'm investigating the acoustics of my room. I have been doing REW scans and analyzing them with the help of a member here. I've played with sub and speaker positioning and settings to see how this affects measurement and what it sounds like. I've reached out to GIK Acoustics to get their advice.

But, because I wanted to just try some experiments before (possibly) spending a lot with GIK and/or other companies, I bought 6 OC 703 panels (2" x 24" x 48") to try, temporarily around my room, singly or in combination. I might even make my own panels if that seems worthwhile.

My question is: What are some useful experiments to do with the panels and where in the measurements might I see some changes?

Again, this is not to replace getting expert help; this is a way for me to start to learn by interactive experience how my room is affecting the sound. So, good things to try?
hilde45
optimize
164 posts
 
  1. I had swaped places with the stereo and the bed. To get a left and right symmetry.
  2. I had swaped places with the stereo and the bed. To get a left and right symmetry.
  3. The method you can use: bass is the most problematic one. And bass is more of a pressure thing. So you have measured your room. You know that you have a peak at for example 73 hz. Take REW signal generator and generate/play back trough your system 73Hz. Take a sound pressure meter (dB meter) and put it everywhere (corners, along walls and so on) and note down what the pressure is.
  4. Take your isolation put it that in those brown/gray sacks that you can breath trough that Santa Claus use. (That goes nice with your bricks, gets a industrial look ;) or as Xmas decoration.
  5. Put the sacks at the positions that you noted had the highest pressure.
  6. You can thank me later :)
tazz2
6 posts
 
Ditto on the "edunbar" post... If your serious about learning; treating; and
getting the BEST acoustic results in your room...acousticfields.com.(Dennis Foley). This is the 'WAKE-UP CALL'...You will soon realize nothing else comes close !
riley804
1,224 posts
 
@hilde45      looking at the drawing of your room, have you thought about making some changes? have or can you put the stereo where the bed is and then you could put the couch where the door of the bed is and the bed could go where the couch or stereo was?      with the stereo where the bed is, you would have side walls and if you had panels left over could put them on stands and have them behind the couch.

just a thought......


hilde45's avatar
hilde45 OP
5,445 posts
 
@edunbar and @tazz2 Thanks -- I will go take a look. I've watched a lot of videos about acoustics and treatments but perhaps there will be something additional here to learn.

@corelli I'll consider suspending the panels. Once a 2" panel is suspended down 4" from a 6'5" ceiling, it is now at about 5' 11 inches from the ground and just about low enough for someone to bump with their head. But I think that this is at least a temporary experiment that will bear fruit. And maybe even an 1" off the ceiling would be good.

@slaw 2 inch spacers sounds like the easier way to get corelli's suggestion implemented. Thanks.

@optimize Thanks for the suggestion. I've played test tones and walked around the room your suggestion about the panels in a sack is interesting. I'll try that. I'll just thank you now, if that's ok.

@riley804 I have not tried the stereo where the bed is (in this room, it's impossible) but I have tried putting the stereo at the opposite end of the room, in other words, on the short wall. It is not as good. Still, I have not tried it with treatments. That's a good experiment.
jetjuice
5 posts
 
Hello all. I worked for Owens Corning for over 13 years and supported, from a technical side of the business, commercial boards etc... that 703 is a part of. First off, insulation will not kill you, breathing in insulation may be a slight irritant to some people but for most it is fine. Yes wrap the panels, insulation is ugly on the wall. 
Remember first what you are trying to accomplish in a room. There are several ways sound can affect acoustics in a room and there are several ways to control it. Diffusers, blockers, baffles, Insulation will help with reverberation in the room by absorbing it. There is an actual science to it and too much absorptive material (700 series fiberglas in this case) can be bad, too little can be bad. The best way to narrow it down is to calculate the amount of reverberation in a room and then calculate the amount of material you need to absorb the appropriate amount of reverberation. Thickness of the panel matters as well because thicker material will absorb lower frequencies better than thinner material. I can go on and on... but think about what you are trying to accomplish and choose the right material for the job. 
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