Corner-trap vs flat trap efficency in corners

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paw1

New member
In the final steps of choosing a build for bass traps in corners. There are two shapes I can choose:
1. Trap shaped to fit the corner (seen from above: two 45 degree angles and one 90 degree angle).
2. Trap shaped like a mattress, set in a 45 degree angle over the corner (seen from above: rectangular).

Lets assume that the surface area of the traps (the area of the trap facing you) is identical.

Pro for the first build is a higher amount of absorbing material in the trap. Con is no "air" in the corners.
For the second build, pro/con are the opposite of the first.

What is more important, "air" behind the trap, or a higher amount of absorbing materials in the trap?


Best regards

paw
 
Good question. I'm curious to read the answer to this one. I have super-chunks for the bottom 4 ft. of my corners, and a rectangular panel for the top 4 ft. So the answer to this question piques my interest.
 
I would have to say both mass *and* air. That said, I have corner traps that are simply out from the wall about an inch (several scrap squares of 1x cedar blocks give them something to butt-up against).

If you're BYO'ing, you might opt for a 2x4 interior "frame" -- That way, air space is built-in.

THAT said -- On the front of the room, I have 2x4-4" traps flat against the wall (2" space behind) and then corner traps right up against those.
 
Yeah, maybe a corner trap with some in-built space would be the best compromise.

I wonder what the professionals think.

Ethan Winer, GIK Acoustics, any opinions?

-paw
 
Thickness of the absorber trumps the space behind. The air behind a trap isn't so much a design benefit than an option that should always be used when building bass traps (hence why all of our flat panels have air gaps built in). A six inch thick panel is always better than a 3 inch panel with a 3 inch air gap. But depending on the situation, the added cost might not be worth it to some people. For example, 24" of absorption would be great, but immensely expensive. 12" of absorption with a 12" air gap is much more realistic (I know hardly anyone builds 24" thick traps but the point is the same).

This same question is posed when customers inquire about using our Soffits, TriTraps, or 244 Bass Traps in the corners. Truth be told, corners are great areas for absorption, so the real answer is ALL of them would be beneficial. In order of what we would recommend, we would suggest Soffits, then TriTraps, then the 244s. If you'd like real data to tell you the difference you can expect, you can check the lab reports we've gotten from Riverbank. You can find the links to the PDF reports on our pages for the Soffit Traps, TriTraps, and 244 Bass Trap pages on our website: Acoustic Panels | Bass Traps | Diffusors | GIK Acoustics
 
Congratulations GIK, that may well be the best answer I've ever gotten in one single post:)

Been looking at your products too. The problem is the extra cost of shipping and VAT for us not living in UK or US.
Think your prices are good though.

-paw
 
Yes, unfortunately shipping is more than we would like too. We're always trying to get better rates from our shipping companies, but with how large these boxes are, we hardly ever get them to budge.
 
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