How much does the quality of sound panels matter?

[Soria Moria]

I just got some iLoud Micro Monitors for use with my PC, and while I like them quite a lot my room is terrible. I have a bed, a closet and curtains for the windows. Otherwise my room is a square with no furniture or sound treatment, so acoustically it's not very great. Would buying a bunch of cheap acoustic panels in bulk not be much worse than 'fancy' expensive ones? I'm not looking to spend a ton here as you could probably guess by the Micro Monitors.

 

[Snoopy]

That cheap foam stuff will do next to nothing. Look for basotect if you want something lightweight. Rockwool works as well

 

[DVDdoug]

I have a bed, a closet and curtains for the windows

If there is no carpet or rug, I'd start with something to "soften" the floor.

Beyond that, anything should help. And you need to cover a significant amount of wall area and focus on where you think the reflected sound is coming from. If you want to "get serious" you'd need to measure the room ("diagnosis before treatment"). The worst problems are usually in the bass range and for that you need proper bass traps (not just basic "acoustic panels') but with micro monitors you may not have enough bass to worry about.

 

[Soria Moria]

If there is no carpet or rug, I'd start with something to "soften" the floor.

Beyond that, anything should help. And you need to cover a significant amount of wall area and focus on where you think the reflected sound is coming from. If you want to "get serious" you'd need to measure the room ("diagnosis before treatment"). The worst problems are usually in the bass range and for that you need proper bass traps (not just basic "acoustic panels') but with micro monitors you may not have enough bass to worry about.

No carpet or rug yes. I've been planning on getting one when I can find one I like. How much would I need to spend for a device to measure the room? Yes the Micro Monitors aren't bass monsters (though for their size I'd argue they are) and I don't plan on adding a subwoofer where I live right now because it would be too intrusive for the other people living here since it's a student apartment.

 

[BR52]

No carpet or rug yes. I've been planning on getting one when I can find one I like. How much would I need to spend for a device to measure the room? Yes the Micro Monitors aren't bass monsters (though for their size I'd argue they are) and I don't plan on adding a subwoofer where I live right now because it would be too intrusive for the other people living here since it's a student apartment.

UMIC 1 around 100 bucks

 

[ozzy9832001]

From my personal experience, don't waste your money or time with foam. It doesn't work. I'd recommend treating the low end first. When I first started down the room treatment path, I had awful resonances at 140hz because of my 8ft ceiling. It was overpowering and even EQ was having a hard time making it listenable. Start with a few thick bass traps in the corners and see how they go.

Depending on how ugly it can be, you could probably buy some rockwool/mineral wool and put it in a garbage bag or wrap it in burlap like a scarecrow. Place that in the corners.