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Need guru advice to finalize noise isolation strategy
Dear home theater gurus,
I’m in the process of planning a new house and, of course, home theater. I’ve spent many hours on the forum, and now have a vague sense of my options. I’m hoping some of you can take a few minutes to help me firm things up re noise isolation. (I’m posting a separate question re acoustical treatment.)
Since I'm a new user the forum will not let me link to a sketch, so here is a description of the basic layout. My room is on the garage level of the house. One side wall is a concrete retaining wall (w/ tons of earth on the other side). The other side wall adjoins a guest bedroom. The front wall is the screen wall, with a large equipment closet on the other side. The back wall contains a door and window. Neighbor’s (windowless) side walls are 1-3 feet away on each side. Above is a great room. Below is a concrete slab.
My most pressing priority is to keep home theater noise from leaking into the guest bedroom. I’d also like to control the noise to the great room above.
I’ve learned through my research that the key factors are mass and isolation, so here is my strategy:
Floor: Wood sub floor system (DRIcore?), with pad and carpet. This is to prevent flanking noise travel through the slab to the guest bedroom.
Side wall (adjoining guest bedroom): Staggered stud construction, with insulation woven through studs. Theater side will have 2 layers of Green Glued sheetrock fixed to the studs with resilient channels.
Do I need 2 layers of sheetrock on the bedroom side as well?
Concrete side wall: Here I could build a 2x4 wall 2” in front of the concrete for isolation. The wall would have 2 layers of green glued sheetrock and insulation. Alternately, I could just attach furring strips to the concrete and resilient channels, Green Glued sheetrock to those. This would save about 6” in room width.
Is this overkill? The only concern here is to keep the noise from traveling up to the great room above through the concrete.
Screen wall (adjoining closet): Please note that this wall will have an opening to the closet, so that I can access the DVD player, receiver, etc. The opening will be below the screen, about 18” high and about 8’ long (and would be closed with glass doors). Given these factors, should I still put 2 layers of sheetrock and insulation? I want some control over the noise intrusion into the closet because I will need a heat vent from the closet to a stairway area going up to the great room. To prevent negative pressure, I’ll also thus require a door vent to let cool air into the closet.
(I’ve planned the closet equipment shelf opening so as to avoid IR repeaters, see the cable box channel display, and easily load DVD’s etc.)
Back wall: Resilient channels, 2 layers of Green Glued sheetrock. Is this overkill? I don’t care is a little noise leaks outside, but I’m trying to prevent noise reaching the house framing, and traveling to the great room above and the adjacent guest bedroom. The window will be double-paned, and both it and the door will be covered by blackout shades and a curtain.
Ceiling: Resilient channels, 2 layers of Green Glued sheetrock. Insulation between joists.
Door to theater: Exterior grade door with gap insulation.
Door to closet: Interior grade door with vent for cold air.
¼ gap between all walls, ceiling, filled with acoustical caulk (to maintain isolation).
Please finally note that I’m willing to do a “room within a room” as a last resort, as I’d like to keep the interior room dimensions as large as possible.
Thanks to all who take the time to help. I’m eager to for your feedback.
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