Bass traps are physical constructions, designed to be placed at or close to walls and corners, with the aim of killing acoustic energy in long and powerful low frequency wavelengths, thereby preventing detrimental reflections back into the room.
First principles would demand tremendous depth to achieve that goal, so bass traps are designed with various ingenious features to get more performance while limiting depth to something domestically acceptable. They aim to be pressure absorbers, rather than the kind of velocity absorbers used at higher frequencies.
Generally, at domestic depths up to a foot or so (30cm), they are modestly effective and can often solve minor problems. But you can't beat math, and for real results you need much more depth than people are willing to contemplate.
Most bass traps are velocity absorbers, not pressure absorbers.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bass_trapHi, I have a question for you, what are the bass traps, I have read the description of many companies, but I want to know the opinion of an expert.
Where would you put tube traps in this category? The ones I built measured a difference of 6 dB from 25 - 50 Hz. IME they are more narrow band than porous absorbers, but broader band than tuned resonators....
There are a few kinds of bass trap, if we are really talking about absorbing subwoofer kind of bass:
Diaphragm ... Helmholtz ... Almost every other kind of product out there is broadband with some sort of dense filling (fibreglass, foam, recycled denim) and has declining effectiveness below 200Hz, and very little below 100Hz, based on the typical thicknesses offered.
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Definitely a lower Q version of a Helmholtz resonator.Where would you put tube traps in this category? The ones I built measured a difference of 6 dB from 25 - 50 Hz. IME they are more narrow band than porous absorbers, but broader band than tuned resonators.
Ridiculous.
You have numerous web sites on this subject no linked with a brand.Hi, I have a question for you, what are the bass traps, I have read the description of many companies, but I want to know the opinion of an expert.
The important thing is they "trap" REFLECTED bass to reduce standing waves. With standing waves you get nodes (where the sound waves cancel) and antinodes where the waves combine in-phase and build-up, all at different frequencies and a different places in the room.Hi, I have a question for you, what are the bass traps,
What frequenc(ies) do you want to tame/absorb? Bass traps can have a tuned membrane in addition to the fiberglass insulation in order to increase their Q. For example, here's some info on the bass traps that I use: https://realtraps.com/p_megatraps.htm
In that case I recommend tube traps, as they are easy to build yourself and quite effective. In my case, they made a big improvement not only subjectively but in before-after measurements. Sounds like you could go with about 2' diameter, and floor to ceiling in the corners. In my case this affected frequencies from 20 to 100 Hz. The site I linked above has more info and a DIY "how-to" guide.I am starting from 0 absorption so I need to catch everything. I know the high end is super easy so I'm more worried about the deepest deep. I was thinking throwing a chonker in the corners would help.
A chonker is just a big thing, sorry. I have tons of pretty dense insulation that works very well for absorbing sound, and as I mentioned I can go pretty thick. Is this not a good approach?In that case I recommend tube traps, as they are easy to build yourself and quite effective. In my case, they made a big improvement not only subjectively but in before-after measurements. Sounds like you could go with about 2' diameter, and floor to ceiling in the corners. In my case this affected frequencies from 20 to 100 Hz. The site I linked above has more info and a DIY "how-to" guide.
An alternative would be something like the Megatraps I mentioned above, stacked in each corner. They are also highly effective but that would cost a lot more than the DIY tube trap option.
What's a chonker?
Do you have any photos of these traps? I see some steps but no photos so hard to grasp.In that case I recommend tube traps, as they are easy to build yourself and quite effective. In my case, they made a big improvement not only subjectively but in before-after measurements. Sounds like you could go with about 2' diameter, and floor to ceiling in the corners. In my case this affected frequencies from 20 to 100 Hz. The site I linked above has more info and a DIY "how-to" guide.
An alternative would be something like the Megatraps I mentioned above, stacked in each corner. They are also highly effective but that would cost a lot more than the DIY tube trap option.
What's a chonker?