Corner Bass Traps - Always beneficial?

[microstrip]

Not necessarily, RPG Modex Plate is 4" thick...I would still call that broadband since it operates over a wide frequency range, not narrow like a tuned trap.

Yes, but they are thick in price ...

I was looking at their specifications - they are really impressive. But they are very difficult to get in Europe, although they were designed at the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany. I think I will have to design a custom bass trap and tune it. Happily I have all the front wall space (13'x8') and no problems with depth.

 

[NorthStar]

---This is a very good thread with some excellent feedbacks.
{No emoticon this time! }

 

[Rutgar]

Well, I'm still waiting on the RealTraps. So in the meantime and for fun, I thought I would pull all of 2" foam Echo Busters out of my room, which I haphazardly had placed across some of the corners in an attempt to get 'some' bass trapping.
I took measurements both before, and after. I believe the results speak for themselves. The Echo Busters were doing absolutely NO Bass Trapping. I did get a bump from 4K on up, by removing the additional absorption.

The Blue is NO treatments in the corners. The Red is with the EchoBusters across the corners. Both are with 1/24 octave smoothing.

 

[DonH50]

"Echo Busters" implies HF absorption or diffusion, not bass trapping. It looks like these are only effective over about 4 kHz.

 

[Rutgar]

"Echo Busters" implies HF absorption or diffusion, not bass trapping. It looks like these are only effective over about 4 kHz.

Yeah, I never had any illusions about Echo Busters being bass traps. But since they are all I had (and I have a butt load of them), I thought they would be better than nothing, straddling the corners. Evidently I thought wrong.

I am surprised though, at how little effect they seem to have on the 500hz to 4K range (at least when used across room corners).

Interesting though, that one effect from 100 to 400hz they did have, is the RT-60 (T-20 & T30) moved from under 400ms to under 500ms (after removing them).

 

[rbbert]

I'm close to getting a pair of the MSR Spring Bass Traps reviewed by Kal in Stereophile. Aside from the fact that they have outstanding absorption in the 60-80 Hz "trouble" region, they can also be painted to match my room's trim (same paint, even) at no extra charge.

 

[TheAudioAssociation]

I'm close to getting a pair of the MSR Spring Bass Traps reviewed by Kal in Stereophile. Aside from the fact that they have outstanding absorption in the 60-80 Hz "trouble" region, they can also be painted to match my room's trim (same paint, even) at no extra charge.

Been thinking about these myself! Are you dealing with them directly or through a local dealer?

 

[rbbert]

Been thinking about these myself! Are you dealing with them directly or through a local dealer?

Apparently my "local" dealer is down your way in Capistrano Beach (I live in Reno).

 

[Steve Williams]

Apparently my "local" dealer is down your way in Capistrano Beach (I live in Reno).

The only dealer (distributor) I know in Capo Beach is Philip O'Hanlon.

BTW, I'm having lunch now with my wife in Capo Beach at a little Mexican place by the beach

 

[TheAudioAssociation]

Apparently my "local" dealer is down your way in Capistrano Beach (I live in Reno).

Nice! I will have to look them up!

 

[rbbert]

Richard Frank
27552 Seascape Circle

If you can buy/deal from Philip that's another great option! He was very nice and entertaining at last year's RAMF.

 

[Steve Williams]

I know Philip very well. He has been to my house several times.

 

[rbbert]

I don't know how freely Kal can express his opinions, but I'd love to hear if he has an opinion on the relative merits of the MSR Spring Trap vs. ASC Tube and Tower Traps? For now, I'm getting some more ASC products; since they have benefits in places other than corners, I can always end up buying the Spring Traps and moving the Tube Traps into other places in the room.

 

[NorthStar]

---And me I'd love to know the opinions from the experts, including & in particular from Ethan Winer, on cork as an acoustical room treatment?

Is cork good? Is it used in some rooms, in studios? And what type of cork, and how thick, and what they all do at certain audio frequencies? ,,,The amount of absorption, how they can deaden the room, stop the echoes, and all that acoustic jazz...

Please Ethan ... Someone wants to seriously know. :b

 

[Kal Rubinson]

I don't know how freely Kal can express his opinions, but I'd love to hear if he has an opinion on the relative merits of the MSR Spring Trap vs. ASC Tube and Tower Traps? For now, I'm getting some more ASC products; since they have benefits in places other than corners, I can always end up buying the Spring Traps and moving the Tube Traps into other places in the room.

There are no external constraints on my expression but I have never used any of the ASC products. I will point out that while both the ASC and MSR products are passive the latter are more highly tuned to be effective at <100Hz.

 

[Kal Rubinson]

---And me I'd love to know the opinions from the experts, including & in particular from Ethan Winer, on cork as an acoustical room treatment?

Is cork good? Is it used in some rooms, in studios? And what type of cork, and how thick, and what they all do at certain audio frequencies? ,,,The amount of absorption, how they can deaden the room, stop the echoes, and all that acoustic jazz...

Please Ethan ... Someone wants to seriously know. :b

Dunno what Ethan will say but I have not seen any convincing evidence of its general effectiveness.

 

[dallasjustice]

I just got 4 of the MSR spring traps in my room today. I replaced the 4 primacoustics corner traps on the frontwall with the MSR spring traps. What Kal is saying is very important. Most basstraps tend to be more broad range control. The springtraps are only effective in the bass. The result was even tighter more articulate bass than before with the primacoustics and the added benefit of much more lively and natural sounding mid-range. I am too tired to post XTZ room analyzer measurements now. I can post them later. I got lucky on Audiogon and got them pretty cheap from a great guy that packed them well onto a pallet. Also, another member of this thread, Bill, was over tonite. Maybe Bill could chime in on what improvements he heard as well. Thumbs up for MSR!

 

[rbbert]

There are no external constraints on my expression but I have never used any of the ASC products. I will point out that while both the ASC and MSR products are passive the latter are more highly tuned to be effective at <100Hz.

You reviewed the ASC Sub Trap for Stereophile in 2004. The larger ASC traps are measured by the manufacturer to be pretty effective under 100 Hz. In my room I also need something active around 120 Hz or so.

 

[NorthStar]

---Thx Kal, your feedback on any audio related matter is always the most welcome.

...And on other matters as well. :b

 

[dallasjustice]

I'd love to hear if he has an opinion on the relative merits of the MSR Spring Trap vs. ASC Tube and Tower Traps?

It looks like he gave his opinion at least concerning the targeted performance of the MSR v. ASC.