Acoustic Wall Panels (Do they work?)

What are acoustic wall panels?

There are 2 types of acoustic wall panels, You have diffraction panels and absorption panels. Some products try to do both but commonly you can only do one to a high standard at any time.

If you imagine sound as a bouncy ball and a speaker is like a catapult. As soon as the sound hits a hard surface it will bounce off this surface until it hits the next surface. If you play the sound louder then it will bounce of more surfaces (you will get a longer echo of a loud clap than a quiet one).

Absorption panels

These are thick absorption materials (Soft Note and NudeNote are 50mm Class A absorbers) for the sound to hit. Whenever the sound hits the absorption the energy of the sound is reduced and therefore it will not go on to hit the next surface with as much energy or may not continue to bounce at all. Soft furnishings like rugs, curtains, sofas, beds, cushions, etc will also help with this.

Diffusion panels

Diffusion panels allow the sound to bounce off them but they send the sound in multiple directions, so the room gets an even spread of that sound. Things like bookcases, desks, shelves, computer screens, etc will also all help with this.

Do acoustic wall panels work? 

Yes, acoustic wall panels such as the and NudeNote are a ‘Class A’ absorption material at 50mm thick which means on average they are over 95% efficient at absorbing the full range of sound frequencies that hit the panel. This reduces echo and reverb that make spaces feel empty and catherdral like.

How many acoustic wall panels do I need?

If you have a hard finish floor (like wood) and minimal other soft furnishings within a room, you want approx. 50% of the total ceiling area to be protected by class A absorption materials to get within the 0.8-1.2s RT60 range (RT=reverberation time). This is the range you aim for to achieve good speech intelligibility (how easy it is to have a conversation). You want to aim for between 0.3-0.6 for home cinemas and mixing studios. You’re likely to aim for something in between for a live room. This would require either more acoustic panels or additional soft furnishings. You can use this calculator to see where you are starting from.

Where should I put my acoustic panels?

Generally, the ideal height for acoustic panels is head height. If you are going to be seated in the room a lot then you will fit the panels to suit. Also closer to you in the room is commonly best so again, directly in front of you, to the sides and directly behind you is going to be most efficient.

Where should I put my acoustic panels in a cinema room?

Sound absorbtion in a cinema room works slightly differently, this is because you usually sit further away from the speakers. If you want to be precise with adding the panels, then you can use a mirror and laser pen. This way you can reduce the first reflections within the room which are going to carry the most energy. You have the laser pen in front of the speaker and aim this at the wall. Place a mirror where the laser pen in shining and this will show you where that first reflection will be going. By doing this you can move the mirror and angle the laser pen until it hits the head rest of your central chairs. The centre of that mirror then wants to be the centre of the absorption panels. This is the same concept on the ceiling, and you want to follow this pattern for all main speakers within the room.

Do I need acoustic ceiling panels?

Acoustic ceiling panels can be one of the most cost-effective panels to install. If you have a large room, then the ceiling is commonly the closest reflection surface to the listener and therefore the most efficient place to install the absorption panels.

Where to place acoustic panels on the ceiling?

This depends on the ceiling height within the room. The lowest-cost panels are going to be panels like the NudeNote which is a 50mm panel which can be stuck directly to the ceiling. You do improve the performance of a panel by having it hung within the room and the lower this is hung within the room, the higher performing it will be. If you think the sound is bouncing of the ceiling, then the closer the panel is to your head then the more protection and absorption you are going to receive. This can be done with products such as the RaftNote or acoustic baffles like the Adagio.

How to choose the correct acoustic wall panels fabric?

We use the camera range for the fabrics that wrap the RaftNote and SoftNote. They are very breathable and come with fire data. If you are choosing your own fabric, then an easy test to check if the fabric will obstruct the sound from being absorbed is to hold the fabric against your mouth and breath through the fabric, if the fabric restricts airflow, then it will also restrict the sound from passing through to an extent.

Have you considered acoustic baffles?

Acoustic baffles are very popular within offices and studios as the are made from a higher density absorption material that will both absorb and diffract the sound. Also due to the configuration of the fins on a product like the Adagio it means you get maximum performance out of a material as the sound can hit all sides of the materials from multiple angles. It also coves a much larger volume within a ceiling space which will disrupt the sound from travelling freely.

Round up

Lots of materials can be used as acoustic wall panels. Lots of people chose to use Rockwool RW3 or RWA45 to build home made acoustic wall panels. This is cost effective and high performing but as Rockwool is a fibrous material it is not something we recommend. Rockwool is a great material in a seal cavity, but this is the only place we recommend it is used. Where the absorption is going to be used and left somewhat exposed then we recommend the melamine absorption NudeNote / SoftNote or the Polyester absorption materials like Raft Note or Adagio to avoid harmful materials from being airborne.