Stretched Fabric Panel Solution for Acoustic Treatment

Home theaters are as much about the sound as the visuals. To ensure the best sound quality, the equipment and overall audio system setup must match the surroundings, whether it’s an intimate family home theater or a massive room with three tiers of elevated seating. But one often overlooked part in optimizing the sound is acoustic treatment. Professional home theater designers pay attention to it, but homeowners might not understand why they need it. Stay with us below as we discuss why home theater soundproofing and acoustic treatment are critical for the best entertainment experience. 

SEE ALSO: 4 Ideas for Your Next Home Theater Design

The Need for Acoustic Treatment

Today's Dolby Atmos film soundtracks have sound coming at the audience from all over. There are speakers in front, at the sides, in the rear, and in the ceiling. With so many direct and reflected sounds, there are bound to be anomalies. Some issues include harsh high frequencies, muddy bass, muddled dialog, echoes, and unbalanced sound at different seating positions. While the sound system must be properly calibrated, many of these other issues are fixed with acoustic treatment. 

We should also mention soundproofing as well. Home theaters can be loud, and you may not want the sound to bleed into adjacent rooms or sound from outside to affect the performance. All of these reasons are why home theaters benefit from acoustic treatment. 

A Simpler Solution

There are several ways to implement acoustic treatment solutions. One is surface treatment, where panels can be applied on top of existing walls. While these panels (absorbers, diffusers, bass traps) are available in different colors and fabrics, for some, it is not the most aesthetic approach. Plus, this type of attachment over an existing finished wall may require some touchups for holes and other damage caused by installation. 

One of our favorite approaches is the fabric and track system over acoustic panels. Essentially, it is like building a false wall, with custom fabric covering the acoustic treatment. The acoustic panels can be installed over the existing drywall, and framing is attached to the drywall where the material can be stretched over it, hiding in-wall speakers and the acoustic treatment. This approach has several advantages, not the least of which is that if adjustments need to be made to a speaker or projector mount, or a hole is made to run another cable, it is easy to remove the fabric and the acoustic panel, make the changes, and recover it easily. You don't have to be concerned with drywall repair, redoing finishes, and imperfections. 

You might be wondering, will this fit with your sense of aesthetics for your home theater? The answer is yes, as there are many options for fabric and color, as well as applications to the framing that give your theater a thoroughly bespoke appearance. When we work with interior designers, they choose from a wide array of fabrics and application options, and we make it happen.

 

Are you planning a new or remodeled home theater for your Park City home? Reach out to us at Show & Tell AV today—we look forward to helping you.