Wood acoustic diffusers have become a decorative item - loved the idea!

[KenA]

The thinness of the material is not important as long as it is rigid.


The area of the diffuser vs the room volume is an issue. If you can 3D print panels at sizes over 1m then it’s a good option. I have no idea about the process though, hence can’t comment further.

According to a seller on Etsy who sells a pair of panels, covering an area of 108cm x 61cm and 15cm deep weighs 27kg. Do you think that is very heavy?

 

[keenly]

True. Diffusion is an even distrubution of the sound. What we get with scattering units is an uneven distribution of the sound, focusing more or less energy in certain directions. Just like the speaker's polar is important, the polar of the diffuser is also. We don't want polar lobing (frequency deviations), since this will color the sound.
View attachment 248683

Thus it's crucial to have measurements of the products one is considering. A proper measurement should show both scattering, diffusion and absorption.
And always be measured with at least three units next to each other in order to see how they perform with multiples. The reason for the latter is that many diffusers will start to loose diffusion coeffiency due to periodicity. So how they perform alone might be very different from how they work put together.

View attachment 248684


Take note that typical 2D Skyline diffusers are higly absorptive and diffuse very little. These are basically outdated products compared to what's available today.

What hybrid products would you recommend for home theater room?

 

[Bjorn]

What hybrid products would you recommend for home theater room?

Without knowing more details it isn't something that I can say for sure. But generally I would say thicker BAD Arcs are good for a home theater. The arc is considerably better than the flat BAD panel above 800 Hz. But you need 15 cm (6") or 20 cm (8") depth to avoid for it too become too narrow banded. And unfortunately they are quite expensive.

 

[srrxr71]

How good are those GIK 2Da panels. Yes the IBM punch card ones. I’ve lined my entire front wall and rear wall with the 6” versions.

I’m wondering if they really are diffusers rather than just scattering devices.

I suppose their primary function is to absorb anyway.

What I have noticed is a lot more treble energy in the room but without echoes and I think finally I may have gotten rid of the slap echo I’ve always had.

 

[robwpdx]

Hi

As an acoustician I am tired to tell people not to think room treatment only as absorption. In most small rooms absorption often creates more issues than it solves. Diffusion is a better solution. However, all I hear: they are expensive, ugly and difficult to place in a room. I am hence pleasantly surprised when I stumbled upon these on Etsy!

Wood Sound Diffuser - Etsy UK

Check out our wood sound diffuser selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our wall decor shops.

www.etsy.com

Not all are done correctly but nevertheless any similarly constructed panel will diffuse the sound in a room. They are a much better choice than foam panels to stop a reflection from a wall -- much, much better. Taste is personal but there are so many to choose from that finding one to your taste shouldn't be a problem. They are not unaffordable either.

Absorbers work on reducing the reverberations. Reverberations increase sound in a room and makes the sound bright. Due to the limitations of the materials absorbers are ineffective at low frequencies. This makes the rooms to sound bass heavy, dull sounding, and not a nice place to listen music to. Diffusers on the other hand stops reflections by scattering the sound so that reflections occur at very high frequencies and hence at less amplitude. This makes the room to disappear (figurately speaking). Here is a good article about diffusers and DIY options. Here is another more technical one.

I hope you will try a diffuser on your room when you need acoustic treatment. If you are already using one I love to hear from you. If I can be of any help do please ask.

All the best

Thanks!

All those plaster curlicues around the stage in classic concert halls were discovered by "early acousticians." They are too labor-intensive to make today. Maybe large scale 3-d printing will open new possibilities.

 

[Bach]

The Esty's do not change my view on room absorption nor make me want to buy them. Whenever there will be absorption installation, it will have to be scientifly based structures. Form follows function, and adding good looking design should not deteriorate the absorption function.

 

[MickeyBoy]

The thinness of the material is not important as long as it is rigid.


The area of the diffuser vs the room volume is an issue. If you can 3D print panels at sizes over 1m then it’s a good option. I have no idea about the process though, hence can’t comment further.

According to a seller on Etsy who sells a pair of panels, covering an area of 108cm x 61cm and 15cm deep weighs 27kg. Do you think that is very heavy?

I think we need to know if there is a rule of thumb for the diffuser area / room volume.