I need frugal acoustic treatment ideas. After looking at a number of DIY options, I think the best option might be panels made of acoustic ceiling tiles. The basic, low price tiles readily available at home improvements stores are made of compressed fiberglass or mineral wool, and painted with latex paint. They come in a convenient sizes 2' x 2' or 2' x 4', and are fairly rigid and lightweight. The panels have published NRC data. Found this fairly detailed test result. Summary Table of Armstrong acoustic data. Here is another one: Armstrong Optima. More data (very comprehensive, worth pdf printing saving). The better NRC panels are thicker (usually twice as thick), but the same basic material (sometimes more environmentally friendly, Armstrong Lyra PB, for example). The front cover of the high NRC panels is more sophisticated than latex paint, and might be perforated plastic sheet, for example. But, they are exponentially more expensive, need to be special ordered, and sometimes require palette-size minimum quantities. Does anyone have experience with the low cost panels? YT "Tech ingredients" tested them, and said they test "about the same" as Rockwool insulation. The published sound absorption tests have profiles that appear very similar to professional acoustic panels. Can one simply stack panels to improve bass performance? I can envision stacking several panels to use as even bass traps, and either gluing the panels together or framing (wood frame or maybe edge-applied glue/paper-plastic tape/thin fiberboard) for mounting on the wall. The panels are covered in latex paint to contain the particles, and should be reasonably safe. I imagine they could even be used as the absorptive material in DIY RPG-like diffusion panels (e.g., modelled after Dado seems fairly straightforward). Any experience?
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