Stupidest bass trap question ever

M

McParadigm

New member
This is bugging the crap out of me. I keep looking around to answer it on my own but I can't find squat. I was hoping not to have to ask something this rediculous here...

So I built a bunch of bass traps using, basically, the Ethan Winer system, but they're freestanding ones. One side has the plywood cover, the other side has essentially an open back with two boards across for support. My misguided logic insists that you would want the open side facing out, but diagrams of the wall-attached ones put the plywood out.

Am I crazy? Does the plywood side face out toward the room, or does the open side?
 
If it's truly just for bass trapping, it shouldn't matter much. The plywood will reflect the highs, but the bass will pass through it pretty easily. So, the question then is do you want to reduce the highs as well as the bass (ply on the wall side), or do you want to reflect the highs back into the room (ply on the room side). At least I think thats sort of correct.

How thick is the plywood?
 
McParadigm said:
This is bugging the crap out of me. I keep looking around to answer it on my own but I can't find squat. I was hoping not to have to ask something this rediculous here...

So I built a bunch of bass traps using, basically, the Ethan Winer system, but they're freestanding ones. One side has the plywood cover, the other side has essentially an open back with two boards across for support. My misguided logic insists that you would want the open side facing out, but diagrams of the wall-attached ones put the plywood out.

Am I crazy? Does the plywood side face out toward the room, or does the open side?
Click to expand...

They need to be enclosed. put 3/4" plywood on the open side and turn them around.

This is what Ethan told me to do 3 years ago.
 
andyhix said:
If it's truly just for bass trapping, it shouldn't matter much. The plywood will reflect the highs, but the bass will pass through it pretty easily. So, the question then is do you want to reduce the highs as well as the bass (ply on the wall side), or do you want to reflect the highs back into the room (ply on the room side). At least I think thats sort of correct.

How thick is the plywood?
Click to expand...

1/4th inch.

I could certainly use the reduction in highs, as well, but my primary concern is bass trapping.

They need to be enclosed. put 3/4" plywood on the open side and turn them around.

This is what Ethan told me to do 3 years ago.
Click to expand...

Oh hell, I hope not. Why 3/4"? The design on his site shows 1/4".
 
I think most traps I've seen people don't have any plywood backing on the corner traps...utilizing the air gap in between the corner and fiberglass. Especially if you don't want the highs to be reflected back. Many even prefer to just fill the entire corner with fiberglass.
 
bennychico11 said:
I think most traps I've seen people don't have any plywood backing on the corner traps...utilizing the air gap in between the corner and fiberglass. Especially if you don't want the highs to be reflected back. Many even prefer to just fill the entire corner with fiberglass.
Click to expand...

That makes sense to me. I just don't want to have to open up and then re-cover them. Maybe next year...so much work to do on the house each summer, you know?

It seems like the setup I have is alright. Like I said, I pretty much followed the Winer design, I just didn't stuck em to the walls. I'm just conferzed about which side faces out.
 
McParadigm said:
1/4th inch.

I could certainly use the reduction in highs, as well, but my primary concern is bass trapping.



Oh hell, I hope not. Why 3/4"? The design on his site shows 1/4".
Click to expand...

3/4" on the BACK. your 1/4" on the front is right. It is meant to absorb the sound. The 3/4 on the back is meant to replace the wall that you should have mounted your traps to.

This is exactly how mine are made.
 
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