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Has anyone compared different acoustically transparent fabrics?

Snoochers

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I’m looking for the most acoustically transparent fabric available. This could be standard speaker cloth, I got my hands on some data for Guildford of Maine fabrics and I’m not impressed and an analysis described in Dr. Toole’s book corroborates my concerns.

I’d love to see hard data pointing to the most transparent cloth(s). It still needs to be a cloth though. I wouldn’t accept something so loose that I can tell time through it! This would be for wall covering of a theatre.
 

Wombat

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Snoochers

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The only time that I compared fabrics I used the 'breath through it' test. The less resistance the better. Aim to find almost no resistance.

Click on the samples here for performance spec. https://acousticalwallfabric.com/ac...parent-fabric/acoustic-insulation-materials//

Claims nearly 100% transparent: https://www.speakerworks.com/beige-speaker-grill-cloth-fabric-p/gcbe.htm
Thank you, though I don’t see relevant specs on either page? Maybe I’m missing them. The NRC values for GOM are useless.
 

Wombat

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The description list for some fabrics on the Acoustic Wall Fabric site showed a sound absorption graph when I originally accessed it. Now it shows a 'show pic' link that won't open.
Here is the graph for one type of fabric:

https://acousticalwallfabric.com/fr-701-fabric-sample-card/#description

Speakerworks only makes a claim for nearly 100% transparency, nothing more. Call them, they may have more information.
 
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Snoochers

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The description list for some fabrics on the Acoustic Wall Fabric site showed a sound absorption graph when I originally accessed it. Now it shows a 'show pic' link that won't open.
Here is the graph for one type of fabric:

https://acousticalwallfabric.com/fr-701-fabric-sample-card/#description

Speakerworks only makes a claim for nearly 100% transparency, nothing more. Call them, they may have more information.

Thanks. Unfortunately the 701 is quite problematic :(
 

amirm

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I tested a few of them. They all have sonic impact if they are close to the speaker. Here is a comparison of a couple of them and the grill for the Revel speaker itself:

screen test.png


As you see, they have attenuation which increases with frequency.

It is worth it though to cover the speaker if it is for a home theater. It keeps your eye focused on the image, not the speakers.
 
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Snoochers

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I tested a few of them. They all have sonic impact if they are close to the speaker. Here is a comparison of a couple of them and the grill for the Revel speaker itself:

View attachment 111384

As you see, they have attenuation which increases with frequency.

It is worth it though to cover the speaker if it is for a home theater. It keeps your eye focused on the image, not the speakers.
I’m not worried about the speakers themselves, thankfully. I’m going to surround my theatre with fabric and if I use something that isn’t transparent enough then my absolution and diffusion will suffer. So I’m looking for a fabric that looks ok, can hide stuff behind it, and that’s very transparent acoustically.
 

amirm

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I’m not worried about the speakers themselves, thankfully. I’m going to surround my theatre with fabric and if I use something that isn’t transparent enough then my absolution and diffusion will suffer.
If you mean you are going to cover all your walls, then I worry you are going to build a dead room. Is there a reason you want to do this?
 
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Snoochers

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If you mean you are going to cover all your walls, then I worry you are going to build a dead room. Is there a reason you want to do this?
Yes because the walls will be covered with ugly absorption panels and diffusers. Maybe 25-30% coverage, and it would look much better if these are hidden.

I don’t want a dead room, that’s exactly why I want this fabric to be transparent!
 

EZ Meno

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It would seem to me the fabrics for speaker grill vs acoustic panels have slightly different requirements. The former needs to be acoustically transparent and the latter non-reflective. If you cover your acoustic absorption panels with with fabric that absorbs some of the energy and lets the rest go through, isn't that a good thing?
 
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Snoochers

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It would seem to me the fabrics for speaker grill vs acoustic panels have slightly different requirements. The former needs to be acoustically transparent and the latter non-reflective. If you cover your acoustic absorption panels with with fabric that absorbs some of the energy and lets the rest go through, isn't that a good thing?
No most certainly not. If you have a fabric that absorbs only very high frequencies, and you wrap your room in it, then you will have a dead room at those frequencies. Also, Dr. Toole's measurements suggest that placing a fabric in front of diffusers or absorption panels can radically change the way they react to soundwaves. All this to say that the high frequencies would die off big time.
 

EZ Meno

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I wouldn't cover the whole room with a fabric. I agree, it would kill only high frequencies. But I don't understand why using it in front of an absorption panel would be bad (as long as the fabric is not reflective). I mean the material inside the panel (fiberglass, etc) will absorb basically all of the high frequencies anyway.
I don't mean to argue, I'm just trying to understand this now that I'm building my own absorption panels.
 
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Snoochers

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I wouldn't cover the whole room with a fabric. I agree, it would kill only high frequencies. But I don't understand why using it in front of an absorption panel would be bad (as long as the fabric is not reflective). I mean the material inside the panel (fiberglass, etc) will absorb basically all of the high frequencies anyway.
I don't mean to argue, I'm just trying to understand this now that I'm building my own absorption panels.

I am talking about wrapping my entire theatre, or at least most of the walls in fabric. So this is an issue. That being said, it is done all the time and no one seems to care, but apparently it matters. I don't know if using it in front of an absorption panel would be a problem, though I think it might be if it is used in front of a diffuser. I believe the fabric might amplify absorption of the high frequencies, especially those that come in at an off angle, but I'm not sure. Probably not a big deal at all if you only have a few panels.
 
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Snoochers

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Sorry, I did read your post, but then thought of a more general question about acoustic fabrics.
Have you looked at something like this?
https://acousticalsolutions.com/wp-...sspoint-sound-absorbing-fabric-data-sheet.pdf
It's not transparent, but at least it would not absorb just the highest frequencies. I've seen something similar used in movie theaters, etc.
That absorbs almost nothing, and that makes sense since it is very thin. It also obviously absorbs better at higher frequencies so it is the exact same problem. You won't absorb anything down low unless you're at least 4" thick, 6" better, and 18" or more even better!
 

dronepunk

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Of all the speaker grill cloth I have encountered
over the years, the stuff Dunlavy used seemed to be the most transparent (breathe thru) I have not done any sort of testing but I have yet to find anything else like it anywhere. I have many pairs of Dunlavy’s and would like to do some repair on a few.
 

dronepunk

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I took a photo with flashlight shinning thru Dunlavy grill. Magnified via jewelry loop...
 

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