New Acoustic Treatment from Output

[HBIII]

I am getting ready to add a bunch more acoustic treatment to my studio this year. I was planning on getting more GIK stuff (I have a few panels and I like them OK), but I recently got an email from output about some new eco acoustic panels they just released. I really want to like these instead as they are much more aesthetically pleasing than rockwool wrapped in fabric.

They don't seem like they would be as good as the GIK stuff, but the response curves on their website look similar to those of a 242 GIK panel (with the single absorber being a little worse and the stacked absorber being a little better).

The diffuser looks nice though, I'm not a big fan of the GIK diffusers. Maybe I will get an output diffuser or two and a few GIK panels and wait until someone else tests out the output absorbers...

What are your all initial impressions of these? Anyone here want to be the test guinea pig ;-) ?

 

[Somafunk]

They don't seem like they would be as good as the GIK stuff

They don’t seem like they would be good for anything much, couldn’t find any data on their website regarding their efficiency either.

 

[HBIII]

They don’t seem like they would be good for anything much, couldn’t find any data on their website regarding their efficiency either.

https://support.output.com/hc/en-us/articles/4423837519255-Eco-Acoustic-Treatment-Technical-Design-Specs

 

[FeddyLost]

IMO, buying some wideband acoustic felt panels is not the optimal way of investment, unless you are really tried them and know their efficiency.
Looks like they wanted these panels to be extremely good looking and user friendly, but their pure acoustic performance don't justify their price.

I'd use something well-known and proven, and if you need ECO, there are Heradesign and Caruso Isobond for example. Polyester mattes are more expensive than rockwool, but they are completely harmless and also work good.

 

[HBIII]

IMO, buying some wideband acoustic felt panels is not the optimal way of investment, unless you are really tried them and know their efficiency.
Looks like they wanted these panels to be extremely good looking and user friendly, but their pure acoustic performance don't justify their price.

I'd use something well-known and proven, and if you need ECO, there are Heradesign and Caruso Isobond for example. Polyester mattes are more expensive than rockwool, but they are completely harmless and also work good.

Thanks a lot for your thoughts. I don't need ECO, but I will check out Heradesign and Caruso Isobond before I buy a bunch more GIK panels.

 

[BadAudioAdvice]

@HBIII Thank you for highlighting that Output introduced these new panels!

I have a few thoughts about Output, GIK, and AcoustiMac - but not related to the effectiveness of their acoustic treatment products

My experience with Output is with their Speaker Stands - I purchased a pair many months ago - they are very well made, and were *very* nicely packaged - lots of high quality cardboard. However, and this is not necessarily a comment about their quality, but, the stands have 4 legs, and I find it near impossible to get them level.

Just last week I ordered a GIK acoustic panel. It was my first time ordering from them, so I can't comment on the quality of their product. But I will say that I was very surprised/disappointed after paying, that they notified me that they will take 2 months to ship! I appreciate that COVID has impacted most companies, so sure, maybe they are really backlogged. It just bothered me that it wasn't made clear on their website that I would need to wait 2 months for my order.

And finally, about AcoustiMac (AM), I was at an audio store this weekend where they had a treated room with AM panels. I took one off to look at it, and the fabric covering was really sloppily attached to the back of the panels. Even though you wouldn't see it when its mounted on the wall, it does say something about the overall quality.

 

[HBIII]

I have the output desk, sidecar, and monitor stands and I love them. They aren't perfect, but better than anything else I could find (utility and aesthetics wise). Customer service was also great, and they even sent me some extra rack mount hardware free of charge.

I also ordered just a few panels from GIK early last year and had to wait 3 months. I was not aware of the wait time either when I placed an order and they quoted me 2 months in a later email. They also never replied to me when I asked for an update a month after their expected ship date had passed. I almost called my credit card company to reverse the charges and then the panels just randomly showed up. I was hoping they would have been caught up by now, I might actually look somewhere else in that case, I don't want a bunch of money tied up doing nothing again. This might actually push me to buy a miter saw and just DIY it.

 

[BadAudioAdvice]

I also ordered just a few panels from GIK early last year and had to wait 3 months. I was not aware of the wait time either when I placed an order and they quoted me 2 months in a later email.

Yikes! Sorry to hear that, and gosh, I am hoping that this doesn't happen to my order. They might arrive just in time for when I have to move out of my apartment...

 

[HBIII]

Well, none of the hardware stores around here have rockwool and checking out some rockwool suppliers online they are all on extended lead times too. And I don't really want to make the panels myself anyway ;-). So maybe being patient with GIK is the best bet. Any other good suppliers of acoustic panels you know of besides GIK and AcoustiMac?

 

[BadAudioAdvice]

I have been debating making panels out of carpet padding - that's what I thought of when I saw the Output absorbers.

To help with floor sound absorption I purchased two pads from: https://www.rugpadusa.com/products/eco-plush-1-2

I liked that they were safe and recycled - and the price is very fair.

If looks aren't too important, you could get a big pad and cut it up and hang it on the walls, suspended a few inches off the wall, or wrap it in some fabric to make it look a bit nicer.

 

[Frgirard]

I am getting ready to add a bunch more acoustic treatment to my studio this year. I was planning on getting more GIK stuff (I have a few panels and I like them OK), but I recently got an email from output about some new eco acoustic panels they just released. I really want to like these instead as they are much more aesthetically pleasing than rockwool wrapped in fabric.

They don't seem like they would be as good as the GIK stuff, but the response curves on their website look similar to those of a 242 GIK panel (with the single absorber being a little worse and the stacked absorber being a little better).

The diffuser looks nice though, I'm not a big fan of the GIK diffusers. Maybe I will get an output diffuser or two and a few GIK panels and wait until someone else tests out the output absorbers...

What are your all initial impressions of these? Anyone here want to be the test guinea pig ;-) ?

Read this https://www.amazon.fr/Acoustic-Absorbers-Diffusers-Theory-Application/dp/0415471745

It will prevent you from believing in the miracles of decorative glass wool sellers.
Same thing for the diffuser.