What's up with bass trapping prices??

[ryanformato]

I've been doing my research on bass trapping and I'm very undecided on which company to choose and/or if I should build my own.

With anyone whose dealt with the 3 companies at hand, what are the real differences between companies because the price differences are huge! We will disregard shipping for this area.

Real Traps - 2x4'9"x2 Minitrap $200
2x4'9"x4 Mondo Trap $300

GIK Acoustics - 3 2x4x2 panels - $129 = $43 /piece
2 2x4x4 panels - $100 = $50/piece

GIK uses 4" inch thick 8 pounds per cubic square foot acoustic mineral treatment.


ATS acoustics - 2x4x2 panel - $32.95 /piece
2x4x4 panel - $43.95

ATS uses "SAFB (rockwool, mineral wool) at 2.5 pounds per cubic foot density. This is the same density and type of material as Owen Corning 703, but it is a much less expensive alternative. It has identical acoustical properties to Owens Corning 703.

Besides the SAFB the panels have a wood frame, thin wood back, and are covered with high quality burlap which gives them a nice textured look."


My last option is building them myself:

Sensible soundsolutions has 6 sheets of 2x4x2 OC 703 for $69
That combined with the wood and fabric will allot me to build either 3 of the 2x4x2 or 1 2x4x4 and 1 2x4x2. If you compare that to GIK acoustics or ATS, it doesn't seem the labor is really worth the 50 bucks I'll save, I'd rather have them do it.

Can anyone account for such huge price differences? Thanks for your help.

[Diffusion]

First off, you can do better than that for 703... I know a few members here who sell a box of 6 (2") for $60... bpape is one... also, I wouldn't build your panels with wood... the 703 is rigid enough that it won't crumble or bend under its own weight, so just wrap it up in fabric and hang them.. all wood does it add to the price and make it harder to hang because of the weight...

[fraserhutch]

I think you absolutely want air between the wall and the fibreglass, hence why you frame it. Actually, what you want to do is mount the fibreglass on a wooden (mdf) frame so that the interior of the frame is hollow.
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[Ethan Winer]

Ryan,

> what are the real differences between companies because the price differences are huge! <

First, take everything I say with a grain of salt because I own one of the companies you mentioned.

Aside from the general build quality, durability, acoustic performance, and other factors relating to the products themselves, one huge difference is the quality of advice you'll get. Almost everyone who comes to me for treatment needs advice. Often that advice extends beyond what to get and where to put it. I often guide people on where to place their monitors and listening position, how best to deal with a drop ceiling, and dozens of other aspects of acoustics unrelated to the actual products I sell. Almost everyone has some odd feature of their room that needs attention, and needs to make the most out of what they have. I like to think I offer some of the best advice in the business, but I won't do that for $5 per hour. So this is definitely a case of you get what you pay for. Just the other day I helped a customer save a few thousand dollars in construction costs. This was unrelated to his purchase, and was just part of the general advice I give.

If the cost of acoustic treatment is more important than getting the best results possible or the best advice possible, you should absolutely make your own treatment or buy the cheapest traps you can find. Some of the cheap traps are not good, but others are quite workable if you know how to determine that.

I also need to point out that you can pay a lot more for acoustic treatment than what RealTraps charges! For example, everything from ASC (tube traps) and RPG costs 3 or 4 times more than similar products from RealTraps, and you still won't get much in the way of personalized service and advice unless you spend at least $10k or more with them.

--Ethan

[bpape]

If you're going to use a less dense material like 703 or the ATS product and you expect it to be effective in the bottom end, you should plan on using at least 6" of thickness. 4" is fine for a denser material like 705 or 8lb mineral wool.

And just to correct the math a little bit, a box of 6 pcs of 2" 703 will make 3 @2'x4'x4" or 2@2'x4'x4" PLUS 2@2'x4'x2". As I suggested above, you can also make 2 panels @ 2'x4'x6".

I agree totally with Ethan on the customer service aspect. I regularly discuss issues with my customers and suggest alternative methods to provide better performance within a given budget or situation. I'm not thowing stones at anyone in particular - just agreeing in general.

I had a customer the other day who was going to order some materials from me and called only to give me a credit card number. We started talking about his room and he ended up with a totally different solution which did in fact end up costing him a little more. But, instead of just having some corner absorbers (and not placed correctly in his original design - he was going to do the front right and rear right corners and leave the other 2 untouched) he basically did his whole room for not much more than he was originally going to spend. My goal was NOT to upsell him - just to make sure that he purchased the appropriate materials and got the most from what he bought. A good use of 30 minutes of both of our times.

[Ethan Winer]

Bryan,

> I had a customer the other day who was going to order some materials from me and called only to give me a credit card number. We started talking about his room and he ended up with a totally different solution <

This happens here all the time too. A lot of people have no idea what they need so they ask me, but just as many people think they know what's best but don't. So I've learned to always go over every detail with them, and not just about treatment and placement but everything else too. Most people I deal with are treating an existing room, but many are building from scratch. Almost daily someone asks about hiring me on a consulting basis, and is surprised when I explain that I gladly do this for free for all customers.

--Ethan