making inwalls better/more sound proof? (1 Viewer)

[mike abaum]

I am assembling my 6.1 home theater sound system with Klipsch Reference series RCW-5 in wall speakers. Would it benefit the sound and/or help control noise going into the other rooms by making in wall boxes? I plan on using ceiling tile like in office buildings. It is dense and kind of soft. Then I would insulate the box with acoustic speaker box insulation. The boxes would only be about 3 1/2 inches deep to fit in the cavity, and maybe an inch or so bigger than the span wise direction of the speaker. I can assemble the boxes inside the wall and then glue together with adhesive caulk. Any thoughts or experience out there?

 

[mike abaum]

Did I stump You guys'?

 

[Rick_Brown]

I think you will get less bass response. The manufacturer is assuming that there is a large wall cavity and has taken this into account. You will in effect reduce the size of the "box" that the speakers are in therefore less bass.

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

Rick is correct. You’d be giving up a lot of bass response.

In-walls are not the way to go if you’re worried about sound bleeding into the next room. You lose the mass of a second layer of sheetrock, not to mention the dead air space between. If you’re really worried about it, you should add a second layer of sheetrock to the wall in the next room. That would at least restore the lost sheetrock layer. Beyond that it would take some drastic measures to reduce sound transference between the two rooms.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[MikeNg]

If you're willing to go through the trouble of building an enclosure, why not buy an in-wall box speaker? Then you know you have the right internal volume for the drivers and performance will be optimal. Might even be better for controlling sound bleed.

Not sure if I totally agree with Rick. But it's all good.

Of the speakers I've had the chance to install and listen to, padding the internals didn't dampen the bass much. Was there a difference? Yes, but it wasn't like the thing was muted either. Minimal difference IMO, but YMMV.

You could also look into lining the immediate area behind the speaker with Dynamat. As others have said, if you are really concerned about bleeding, inwalls may not be the best way to go.

 

[Shane J]

So with inwall speakers, we should NOT insulate them at all? Just mount them in an uninsulated wall and be done with it?

I thought that most people recommended insulating them.

??

 

[MikeNg]

IMO, I think it depends on the manufacturer. How did they design the drivers? Do they expect you to line the back with insulation? I don't think there's one answer that fits all applications.

My above post had to do with the speakers I had to work with, but I wouldn't apply it to all inwalls.

 

[mike abaum]

Thanks for all of the input. Yesterday I tested the speakers with and without boxes. I think that there may have been less bass with boxes but it may have been in my head because it took over an hour to remove speakers and reinstall with boxes and retest. The reason I wanted to install boxes is because the front three speakers go into a cathedral ceiling and I could see the sound going through the roof and also out the under eave vent and about twenty feet over to my neighbors single pane window of the master bedroom. I went ahead and did a permanent installation with boxes made from acoustic drop ceiling tiles and speaker box insulation. The noise coming from the roof is very muted-not a problem at all. The sound inside is great. All in all a successful project. Those drop ceiling tiles are cheap and may be a good choice for some level of sound proofing in other projects. Thanks again for the help.

 

[MikeNg]

Glad it worked out for you Mike. If possible, can you post pics of your project. I'd be curious to see what you did. Thanks.

Mike

 

[mike abaum]

I didn't take any pic's because it was so unremarkable. All I did was go to Home Depot and buy a pack of drop ceiling acoustic tiles that looked textured enough to dampen sound. Another source would be the ceiling of the guy's cubicle next to you. Then I cut out pieces to make a box that could be assembled inside the wall. The box is about one inch bigger than the size of the speaker and as deep as will fit in the cavity. The bottom (big) piece has to be cut in two because you can't fit it through the hole otherwise. Also, it was easier for assembly to make the small sides of the box fit inside the long sides. The insulation pressure held the pieces in place during assembly and then I glued the seams with adhesive caulk and also glued in speaker box insulation. One caveat for hard to reach places....if you need a ladder, go get a ladder. Don't set a bar stool on top of four one gallon paint cans! I really busted my ass........

 

[mike abaum]

I forgot to mention that I route the LFE and normal bass to both a subwoofer and all of the speakers. That is why bass seems so good, at least to me! The boxed in speakers seem to have really good bass by themselves though. I definitely would not hesitate to install boxes if you need to add some level of sound proofing, especially if you use a sub. Cheers!

 

[Grant B]

mike
glad it worked out.

I have quite a few in walls which I installed when I was gutting my house.

I have 1/2 plywood on all walls (underneath the drywall) for shear strenght (earthquakes tend to test that on 100year+ wood buildings) and noise control.
I put 2x4s or 2x6 above and below the speakers so the sound stays where I want it to. so I have made boxes in the wall (plywood) around the inwalls
A little less base but they are not my main listening speakers and my wife thinks they are great....