Ready Traps Review
Just to be clear, what are you hoping traps will make a noticeable difference with?
Improving the sound in the room? Definitely.
Isolation? Not at all.
I reviewed Ready Traps here:
https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=260402
Ready Traps
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I wanted to write up a short review of the broadband absorption panels I used for my studio.
I bought 58 panels from Ready Acoustics. Eight of them are the super-duper sub bass traps (or whatever). They are 6" of 703, a corner mounting bracket, and a nesting panel of 4" 703.
I bought six 2" panels of 705.
The remainder are their "Chameleon Traps", which are 4" panels of 703 with a lightweight metal frame.
I'm not going to go into the acoustic properties of these types of products, as they are well covered here and elsewhere. I will then address a few points about these products a consumer might care about.
Purchasing: 4 out of 5 stars
These were easy to purchase, the website is simple and easy to navigate, and the products were delivered mostly intact.
Product: 4 out of 5 stars
Here's the deal. These aren't the most expensive traps on the market. They cost about half of what a different, well-received, reviewed, alternative product that shall remain unnamed cost. That factor was for me, as it will be for many non-pro penny pinchers, the deciding one. The illustrious unnamed product is targeting a different market, in my opinion, and I'd like to avoid comparing the two in this thread.
Now that that's out of the way:
Chameleon traps are plain sexy. They are attractive products and hold up to installation fairly well. The color selection is nice, and the construction is solid. Further, there is a goodly amount of consistency from panel to panel. I appreciate the loose fabric being tucked in, the seams folded under the frames, and the final brushing to give them some additional visual interest. The corners on the non-chameleon traps show more than I'd like, but this is a minor quibble. I feel like they are substantial and that their cost is justified by their quality and appearance; again, the acoustic properties of Owens Corning 703 and 705 are fairly well documented. What we are paying for here then, is the appearance and durability of the product - as well as the people behind it, such as that may be.
Packaging: 5 out of 5 stars
They were delivered well packed and with obvious care. A few of the panels were dented, but the covering can be smoothed to hide such imperfections. Several of the metal frames were dented, and the paint peeling off. This is harder to remedy, but still not a very big deal - although the traps are not reversible. Keep this in mind when you're planning.
Installation: -10 out of 5 stars
This brings me to pretty much the only the negative side to this review. Panels are a serious pain in the ass to install. The mounting hardware, and the instructions for mounting the panels, are insufficient at best.
The wall mounting thingies, for standing panels off the wall, are acrylic. If you drop them or apply too much pressure to them they will break. They cost 20 bucks apiece, and I wound up chucking them in the garbage.
Out of the 20 I ordered, six were broken. Of the remaining, four were impossible to mount to the wall flat. Just unacceptable. The fantastic packaging did not protect them from the vagaries of delivery.
Chamelon traps, apparently, were not designed to mount on wall/celiing corners - or ceilings at all. This was discovered only after placing a call to ready acoustics the day the contractors were here to do the install, and the only indication of this upon inspection was that the straps on the back, used to mount the other types of non-framed panels Ready Acoustics sells, are present but sewn shut. This is the only indication that they are apparently designed only for wall mounting. The person who I spoke to at first was confused as to what it was I wanted to do, and then informed me that the products were not designed for such a purpose, and that what I needed to do was purchase additional mounting hardware at my own expense. As it turned out, their mounting suggestion also sucked, in practice, and we had to come up with our own method - for safety's sake.
While the corner mounting hardware is acceptable, even that had to be jury-rigged to hold the nested panel. Some simple elastic could have been included, along with some printed instructions.
Bottom line for installation: Be prepared to come up with your own solution for mounting these things. They are not easy to install, and if you do it wrong, a chameleon trap falling on your head could kill you.
Customer Support: 3 out of 5 stars
Contacting Ready Acoustics wasn't difficult, but getting a good answer about the products I ordered wasn't so easy. I did not like being told that I was using the products for a purpose other than which they had been designed - I felt that they could have been more helpful when it was clear I was having installation issues. Chameleon traps are not designed for ceiling mounting or wall/ceiling corner mounting, and ready acoustics does not supply hardware suitable for this purpose. Their website does not indicate this.
However, they did send some chains for ceiling mounting free of charge. That was helpful, and I appreciate it.
I tried to contact Joel prior to writing this, because a few well placed caveats on their website could have saved me considerable time and money. Joel has not returned my call to date.
Another thing: This stuff smells like ass. I don't know what to compare it to, but it's not pleasant.
Bottom line: This is good stuff. Be prepared to figure out how to install it yourself. I believe it to be worth the time and expense, if home recording is what you really want to spend your money on.
Some pics here:
http://www.homerecording.com/bbs/sho...d.php?t=253968
