Acoustic Treatment Can Take Your Sound from Good to Great

We're going to let you in on a little secret. That immersive, spectacularly intense sound you want in a home theater is not all about speakers and audio components. Many don't realize that getting the sound dialed in for every seat in a home theater is no mean feat. The secret sauce often comes down to acoustic treatment. 

In this second blog on home cinema sound this month, we’re going to focus on how acoustic treatment completes the sound installation for a home theater room. Sure, it’s not as sexy as the Sonos Faber and Focal speakers we discussed last month, but it can be just as important. A well-treated (acoustically) room with a good sound system might actually sound better than an untreated one with a great sound system. Read on below to learn more about how we apply acoustic treatment to perfect the sound quality for home theaters in Salt Lake City, UT. 

SEE ALSO: Bringing Your Home Theater to Life

Why You Need Acoustic Treatment

All rooms sound different. Your room dimensions, ceiling height, wall and floor materials, seating configuration, furniture, and other factors affect how the room sounds. The speakers and subwoofers for the room also affect the sound. Take bass, for example. It’s common to end up hearing a lot of bass in one seating position and almost none in another. Of course, you can fix some of these issues with subwoofer placement and audio system calibration, but often the answer is in acoustic treatment. For example, bass traps capture an excess of bass boominess in one location and even out the bass performance.

Another common issue is reflectivity. With many hard surfaces in some modern theaters, this becomes more acute. Add in the many speakers employed for current Dolby Atmos surround sound systems, with multiple surround and height speakers, and you can have serious reflections. Again, some of that can be tamed with material choices, finishes, and seat material, but acoustic treatment can provide the last mile of making the sound free of artifacts. 

Finally, there's a practical side. Home theaters are loud, and they can bleed sound into adjacent areas. Conversely, you may have an adjoining space that can seep sound into the theater. Acoustic treatment can eliminate both of these issues where necessary. 

Acoustic Treatment Options

Some rooms need a lot of treatment, some less so. Much will depend on the size, style, and layout of your theater and the sound equipment. Fortunately, we work with companies that not only provide acoustic treatment solutions but also collaborate with us on a complete acoustic design for the theater room.  

For example, Quest.ai and Vicoustics are two of our acoustic partners that offer comprehensive acoustic analysis and design services. The range of solutions is extensive, including panels that can be covered with custom fabric and integrated into decorative ones that blend or add flair to your existing decor. The panels are not just flat and rectangular; there is a wide array of different types and shapes of absorbers, diffusers, and traps to tame the sound issues in any room while not detracting from the aesthetics.

Show & Tell AV Solutions is your Salt Lake City sound expert for custom theater rooms. Look for more in this space shortly on home theater audio and acoustics. If you want to learn more or get started on a home theater project now, contact Show & Tell AV Solutions today!