Hi all,
I have decided to retire and move down to Florida to start a new woodworking business. Unfortunately, the house we have down there is quite a bit smaller than my existing home and does not have anything like the listening area I currently have in my basement (no basements in Florida). Indeed, my system is likely to be relegated to a small bedroom or the living room. So, I am selling all of the acoustical treatment I have purchased and built over the years (I have been building fine furniture for over 25 years and have a full, professional-level workshop). I am selling the treatment at a fraction of the price you would pay if you purchased the item from one of the acoustics dealers and I can assure you that their construction is at least as good, but probably better, than what you would get from the dealers (I tend to significantly over design and build the stuff I make).
My listening room is in a 20’x20’ section of my basement with 7’ ceiling – essentially a concrete bunker. As you could imagine, when I first set things up I had huge bass issues (peaks and nulls of over 10-15 dbs) in the 20-30hz range and at 60hz, 120hz etc. I also had terrible comb filtering issues in the mids and the highs, which really hurt the intelligibility of the music. So, I spent about 7 years working on improving the room using EFFECTIVE acoustic treatment (note that I found through testing and listening that much of the treatment out there for sale is not all that effective, particularly given the cost). The acoustic treatment listed below (along with careful positioning of the speakers and listening position, got rid of virtually all of the issues I had with the room and resulted in a room with clarity, image solidity, soundstage (width and depth), bass articulation and overall intelligibility and presentation that is superb and that I would be happy to put up against many of the designed rooms I have been in.
Before and during the process of purchasing, building and installing the acoustic treatments, I spoke with many of the experts at the acoustic treatment manufacturers (e.g., Real Traps, GIK Acoustics, Acoustic Frontiers, etc), thoroughly read a number of acoustics manuals (and actually consulted with a NASA expert on waves (a boyfriend of my wife’s friend)) and tried and tested many of the available acoustic treatments on the market. I spent about 7 years building and testing the acoustic treatments listed below and many, many others that I rejected as ineffective or harmful. With any acoustic treatment I placed in my listening room, I used Room Eq Wizard (carefully examining the relevant graphs, consulting with experts, re trying different locations and re-testing) and, of course, performed very critical listening at each step, sometimes employing a panel of audiophile and non-audiophile buddies to confirm or challenge what I thought I was hearing. So, what you will get if you purchase the acoustic treatments from me are very well constructed, good-looking treatments that actually do what they were designed to do.
I have a strong preference for the treatment to be picked up. I live in Scarsdale, NY (Westchester). Some of the items are easier to ship than others, so in some cases, you would need to hire a shipping company to come and pick the treatment up. Shipping costs to be paid by the buyer. I am more than happy to answer any questions about the treatments etc. (cohn_richard@hotmail.com) or to have you come over my house and listen, take measurements etc.
BASS TRAPS
RealTraps MiniTraps (2’ x 4’ x 3 ¼”’) (about 12 of these) - http://realtraps.com/p_minitrap.htm; http://realtraps.com/prices.htm. – These are broad-range bass traps that did a very good job (particularly when mounted in corners and top and bottom) in helping to smooth out bumps and peaks in the 60hz – 200hz range and to somewhat reduce comb filtering hash (though note that if not placed carefully, too many of these could lead to an overly damped room – I eliminated this issue by limiting their use at and around the reflection points (unless you want to absorb the highs and mids there). The RT website says they are effective down to about 40hz – I did not find this to be the case in my room. Their effectiveness really increases if you can have them away from the wall a bit. RealTaps sells them for $219 each and $189 if you buy 10 or more. I will sell them for $100 a piece. A few of them have some minor damage, but still look very good – I will reduce the price on those to $75.
DIY Broad-Range Bass Traps - These are 4” thick Owens Corning 705 rigid fiberglass, wrapped in heavy acoustic (fire retardant) grey fabric. They are 2’ x 4’. Many of them have a mass loaded vinyl membrane. I found these membranes increased the bass absorption better than a thin plastic membrane like the ones on the RealTraps. They also absorb less high frequency energy. You could, of course, easily remove this membrane and replace it with whatever membrane you like or leave it without any membrane. I also have these traps without any membrane. The traps do not have metal around the sides, so they are much lighter than the RealTraps. They are 2 2” Owens Corning 705 rigid fiberglass (with or without the membrane on the front) wrapped in the acoustic cloth. GIK sells the OC 705 for $26 a 2” piece. The mass loaded vinyl is quite expensive (don’t remember exactly how much) and the acoustic fabric was also quite expensive. I will sell the traps with the membrane for $60 a piece and the ones without the membrane for $50 a piece.
The Mother OF ALL Broad-Range Corner Bass Traps - For the person with the space and insanity, these really do an amazing job of smoothing things out from around the 60hz range up. They are 4’ wide by 4’ deep by 7’ high. They plywood frames (with ports cut in the sides) that are packed with Owens Corning 705 rigid fiberglass and Roxul SafeNSound Rockwool. The frames come apart and can be reassembled easily. I have used this without any membrane, with a mass-loaded membrane on the front and with diffusers on a small percentage of the front (my speakers have the mids open at the back), I think you would need to experiment in your room to see which sounds the best with respect to md/highs absorption. I will sell these with the acoustic fabric to cover the front and sides for $500 a piece (that is substantially less than the material cost me and obviously does not take into account the work involved in construction). If nobody is interested in these, I will sell the OC 705 panels, the rockwool and vinyl separately.
GIK Monster Bass Traps with Scatter Plates - https://www.gikacoustics.com/product...ge-technology/
https://www.gikacoustics.com/product...scatter-plate/
These are free-standing broad range bass traps by GIK acoustics.They are 2’ x 4’ x 7”.Like the Real Traps, these do a very nice job helping to clean things up in the range of around 60hz – 200hz (GIK says they are effective below 60hz, but I have not found that to be the case in my room)Again, if you can place them a bit away from the wall they are even more effective.They did a very nice job getting rid of the congestion in deep voices.These come with the optional scatter plate, which does an excellent job of balancing the amount of bass absorption vs. high-energy absorption, so you don’t wind up deadening the room.Essentially, it keeps much of the high energy in the room.In a couple of places, they call this a diffuser.It is not a diffuser- it scatters the mids and highs, but you do not get anything like the results of a real diffuser in terms of clarity, etc.Nonetheless, they are very good at doing what they were designed to do.I have two of these and paid $175 for each.I would sell them for $100 each.
DIY Free-Standing Bass Traps with scatter plates – These are similar to the GIK Monster Traps. But I made these 12” deep (they are 2’ x4’ x 12”), which makes them a bit more effective. I built scatter plates for most of the ones I built. They are covered with the same acoustic/fire-retardant fabric I have used for my other bass traps. I have 8 of these and would sell them for $75 a piece.
I have decided to retire and move down to Florida to start a new woodworking business. Unfortunately, the house we have down there is quite a bit smaller than my existing home and does not have anything like the listening area I currently have in my basement (no basements in Florida). Indeed, my system is likely to be relegated to a small bedroom or the living room. So, I am selling all of the acoustical treatment I have purchased and built over the years (I have been building fine furniture for over 25 years and have a full, professional-level workshop). I am selling the treatment at a fraction of the price you would pay if you purchased the item from one of the acoustics dealers and I can assure you that their construction is at least as good, but probably better, than what you would get from the dealers (I tend to significantly over design and build the stuff I make).
My listening room is in a 20’x20’ section of my basement with 7’ ceiling – essentially a concrete bunker. As you could imagine, when I first set things up I had huge bass issues (peaks and nulls of over 10-15 dbs) in the 20-30hz range and at 60hz, 120hz etc. I also had terrible comb filtering issues in the mids and the highs, which really hurt the intelligibility of the music. So, I spent about 7 years working on improving the room using EFFECTIVE acoustic treatment (note that I found through testing and listening that much of the treatment out there for sale is not all that effective, particularly given the cost). The acoustic treatment listed below (along with careful positioning of the speakers and listening position, got rid of virtually all of the issues I had with the room and resulted in a room with clarity, image solidity, soundstage (width and depth), bass articulation and overall intelligibility and presentation that is superb and that I would be happy to put up against many of the designed rooms I have been in.
Before and during the process of purchasing, building and installing the acoustic treatments, I spoke with many of the experts at the acoustic treatment manufacturers (e.g., Real Traps, GIK Acoustics, Acoustic Frontiers, etc), thoroughly read a number of acoustics manuals (and actually consulted with a NASA expert on waves (a boyfriend of my wife’s friend)) and tried and tested many of the available acoustic treatments on the market. I spent about 7 years building and testing the acoustic treatments listed below and many, many others that I rejected as ineffective or harmful. With any acoustic treatment I placed in my listening room, I used Room Eq Wizard (carefully examining the relevant graphs, consulting with experts, re trying different locations and re-testing) and, of course, performed very critical listening at each step, sometimes employing a panel of audiophile and non-audiophile buddies to confirm or challenge what I thought I was hearing. So, what you will get if you purchase the acoustic treatments from me are very well constructed, good-looking treatments that actually do what they were designed to do.
I have a strong preference for the treatment to be picked up. I live in Scarsdale, NY (Westchester). Some of the items are easier to ship than others, so in some cases, you would need to hire a shipping company to come and pick the treatment up. Shipping costs to be paid by the buyer. I am more than happy to answer any questions about the treatments etc. (cohn_richard@hotmail.com) or to have you come over my house and listen, take measurements etc.
BASS TRAPS
RealTraps MiniTraps (2’ x 4’ x 3 ¼”’) (about 12 of these) - http://realtraps.com/p_minitrap.htm; http://realtraps.com/prices.htm. – These are broad-range bass traps that did a very good job (particularly when mounted in corners and top and bottom) in helping to smooth out bumps and peaks in the 60hz – 200hz range and to somewhat reduce comb filtering hash (though note that if not placed carefully, too many of these could lead to an overly damped room – I eliminated this issue by limiting their use at and around the reflection points (unless you want to absorb the highs and mids there). The RT website says they are effective down to about 40hz – I did not find this to be the case in my room. Their effectiveness really increases if you can have them away from the wall a bit. RealTaps sells them for $219 each and $189 if you buy 10 or more. I will sell them for $100 a piece. A few of them have some minor damage, but still look very good – I will reduce the price on those to $75.
DIY Broad-Range Bass Traps - These are 4” thick Owens Corning 705 rigid fiberglass, wrapped in heavy acoustic (fire retardant) grey fabric. They are 2’ x 4’. Many of them have a mass loaded vinyl membrane. I found these membranes increased the bass absorption better than a thin plastic membrane like the ones on the RealTraps. They also absorb less high frequency energy. You could, of course, easily remove this membrane and replace it with whatever membrane you like or leave it without any membrane. I also have these traps without any membrane. The traps do not have metal around the sides, so they are much lighter than the RealTraps. They are 2 2” Owens Corning 705 rigid fiberglass (with or without the membrane on the front) wrapped in the acoustic cloth. GIK sells the OC 705 for $26 a 2” piece. The mass loaded vinyl is quite expensive (don’t remember exactly how much) and the acoustic fabric was also quite expensive. I will sell the traps with the membrane for $60 a piece and the ones without the membrane for $50 a piece.
The Mother OF ALL Broad-Range Corner Bass Traps - For the person with the space and insanity, these really do an amazing job of smoothing things out from around the 60hz range up. They are 4’ wide by 4’ deep by 7’ high. They plywood frames (with ports cut in the sides) that are packed with Owens Corning 705 rigid fiberglass and Roxul SafeNSound Rockwool. The frames come apart and can be reassembled easily. I have used this without any membrane, with a mass-loaded membrane on the front and with diffusers on a small percentage of the front (my speakers have the mids open at the back), I think you would need to experiment in your room to see which sounds the best with respect to md/highs absorption. I will sell these with the acoustic fabric to cover the front and sides for $500 a piece (that is substantially less than the material cost me and obviously does not take into account the work involved in construction). If nobody is interested in these, I will sell the OC 705 panels, the rockwool and vinyl separately.
GIK Monster Bass Traps with Scatter Plates - https://www.gikacoustics.com/product...ge-technology/
https://www.gikacoustics.com/product...scatter-plate/
These are free-standing broad range bass traps by GIK acoustics.They are 2’ x 4’ x 7”.Like the Real Traps, these do a very nice job helping to clean things up in the range of around 60hz – 200hz (GIK says they are effective below 60hz, but I have not found that to be the case in my room)Again, if you can place them a bit away from the wall they are even more effective.They did a very nice job getting rid of the congestion in deep voices.These come with the optional scatter plate, which does an excellent job of balancing the amount of bass absorption vs. high-energy absorption, so you don’t wind up deadening the room.Essentially, it keeps much of the high energy in the room.In a couple of places, they call this a diffuser.It is not a diffuser- it scatters the mids and highs, but you do not get anything like the results of a real diffuser in terms of clarity, etc.Nonetheless, they are very good at doing what they were designed to do.I have two of these and paid $175 for each.I would sell them for $100 each.
DIY Free-Standing Bass Traps with scatter plates – These are similar to the GIK Monster Traps. But I made these 12” deep (they are 2’ x4’ x 12”), which makes them a bit more effective. I built scatter plates for most of the ones I built. They are covered with the same acoustic/fire-retardant fabric I have used for my other bass traps. I have 8 of these and would sell them for $75 a piece.
