What's the Verdict on Acoustic Hanger Absorbers?

hookiefree

hookiefree

New member
I don't hear too much about them. They seem like a good solution for my room but I'm wondering how effective they are. My plan is to use them in the front two corners and panel traps in the back corners and wall. Anybody have any experience or opinions on them?
 
They work but they probably don't get much use in small rooms because they take up space.

Maybe you're short and it won't bother you.
 
My understanding is there is no hard proof to what extent they actually work. Mostly, it is by designers experience and their ears that tell them what they believe. Read this and judge for yourself. It is because of this thread that I chose NOT to use them, even though I have the room. Some may disagree. To each his own. I only ask "wheres the beef" :D

Furthermore, why do you choose to use panel traps on the rear wall. They are frequency specific(octave bandwidth plus or minus), hard to calculate accurately and may add problems rather than solve them.
fitZ
http://forum.studiotips.com/viewtopic.php?t=1563
 
Hey, hookiefree, can you link to what you have in mind? We may be talking about different things.
 
Here is the link APL http://www.saecollege.de/reference_material/pages/Low Frequencies.htm

I can't get to the studio tips forum Rick. "Forum" sets off the alarms on the company firewall. I'm going to have to check it out somewhere though because it's not the first time you've suggested it to me.

There is a window (orange rectangle on the sketch) on the left of the control room that I wanted to disappear so I thought the hanging absorbers would be good for than. I chose panel traps because I wanted to keep some of the mids and highs while eliminating more bass since the hanging bass traps would probably absorb everything. So basically the best way to go is just fabric wrapped RF panels all over the place?
 

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Hookie, I believe the SAE site is exactly where the "bass hanger" concept evolved from. As to verdict, I don't think there is any yet. Even a known acoustician personally disputes it, but yet says there must be something to it or other well known studio designers wouldn't still use it. That is not to say it works or does not work. It only means that TESTS in the context as they are used in studios, have never been performed or published that he knows of. What you would be basing your installation on is "published experience", not proof. Which a lot of homerecording acoustical "net fact" is based on. To truly discover what does and what doesn't really work is through vigorous testing. Although, some recent tests have confirmed that using "superchunks" of either rigid fiberglass or rockwool placed in corners from floor to ceiling REALLY works as a low frequency absorber. Prior to that, it was all "experience" based knowlege. Which amounts to trust in word, not test results.

These tests were conducted by Auralux, at their expense, using various materials and products. I won't get into that, as I would be placing my head directly in the path of the debate giotine as there are certain elements of test result ambiguity there :D As to the use of rigid fiberglass, rockwool or other products as broadband absorption, there is no doubt it works to the extent of absorption coefficients. How much, where placed and the "edge effect" performance is the issues of debate. I still see opposing opinion regarding these issues. So, who knows really.
As usual though, my disclaimer here is in FULL FORCE..ie...I ain't no stinkin expert so take my word with a hefty grain of salt..hahahahaha! I only read what I read.

Too bad you can't access the studiotips site to read for yourself as it is the one bbs that from my perspective, bases information on tested and qualified information by experts. The HR bbs...well, you take your chances. :p Thats not to say that information here is wrong, only .......lets just say "not qualified" for one and in other contexts....pure snake oil. Hahahahaha!! However, some is dead on. At least from my perspective. So do what you will and good luck. I'm not recommending ANYTHING in regard to acoustics anymore. The deeper you go, the darker it gets.

fitZ
 
So, Rick do your comments here mean you're no longer interested in my offer to "put this to bed" once and for all? That wide closet at the rear of your room sounds like a nearly perfect way for you and me to find out for REAL whether hangers work any better than a straight deep trap.

Also, I see no mention of John's experience with this method; you know he's into "ear proof" more than numbers, I'd think that would carry some weight??!? Steve
 
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So, Rick do your comments here mean you're no longer interested in my offer to "put this to bed" once and for all? That wide closet at the rear of your room sounds like a nearly perfect way for you and me to find out for REAL whether hangers work any better than a straight deep trap.
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Good grief no. :eek: :p It just means what it says. "I" don't have experience, so all I can do is pass on what I read from professionals that have a better handle on what is known, and what isn't. I've linked to Johns site lots and lots of times. This post just happens to be after I've read what Eric said, and lord forbid I mistook what he said. :D But I don't think so. I read it again last night just to make sure. ALSO, I made NO reference to John for one reason only. After reading Erics statement, I came to the conclusion that if I referenced to people who HAVE built these, and then someone tests them and proves something negative, I'm guilty of spreading good old "net fact" again, which I'm TRYING not to do. Isn't that better? All I did was reference a thread that discusses it, and kind of summarized it. Maybe I shouldn't even do that anymore. Damn this world is gettinc smaller by the day :p Crap.

As far as my room, damn, seems like the harder I try to get something done, the farther I fall behind. But YES, I'd love to do that. Its getting the time to get things organized here at home first thats killen me!! The last three weeks were a good example. Took a damn week to change a clutch, which should have been done in 12 hours. Thats Fords for ya!! Hahahaha! And then there was the new bathroom counter and sink. What a joke. Old faucets and the water over here make for COMPLETE plumbing jobs when it should of taken 2 hours. Took another week. Old houses....fuck. Anyway Steve, I'd love to do that, and I appreciate the offer. But it will be a little while before I can.

As to this thread, or even linking, I think I'll stop. The more I read, the more trouble I get into. Acoustics be damned. Ha! Well, thats all I can say Steve. Sorry if I upset you or John, it wasn't my intent. As always, just trying to find out the truth. THATS why I question Eric at studio tips, and look what I got there..........fuck. I think I just opened the can of worms big enough so they can crawl out now. :D
fitZ
 
NO prob, Fitz; got your email, sounds like we're in similar time frames. Still, we'll get there.

Everyone else; this "hanger" thing is being debated on other sites by serious acousticians, who seem to be "shrugging their shoulders" as to its effectiveness. John Sayers, on the other hand, uses and recommends this method where there's room for it in large traps, and as far as I'm concerned there's a reason.

To "put this to bed" more or less, Fitz and I have agreed that, when he's ready to finish off the room he's planning that we will do some experiments in a large deep trap at the rear of the room; we will set the trap up so the front can be readily removed, then build it first without hangers, measure the evenness of bass modes within the room, document these using ETF and a calibrated microphone; then, re-do the trap, the only difference being the addition of several "hangers" within the trap area, and re-do the tests.

Once the results are in, we will post them here and at a couple other sites, showing exact methods used and results observed.

Please don't hold your breath on this; Fitz and I both have pretty heavy schedules, so this may take several months to finish (we also live about 140 miles apart, so may have to find a co-signer for the gas :=((

Thanks for your patience... Steve
 
(we also live about 140 miles apart, so may have to find a co-signer for the gas :=((
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Hahahahaha! No prob on that Steve...I've got it covered. Folks, for Steve its.. HAVE ETF..WILL TRAVEL..Palladin didn't have to worry bout it..But at $2.50 a gal, :eek: unless your Bill Gates, I think the days of big SUV's are numbered :D. I've even noticed on the weekends, there's VERY FEW tourists or even locals out on the road now. That'll kill this area come summer. Even my local gas stop just laid 2 people off. They said their business has dropped 50%. Man I'm glad I don't commute.
Ok Steve, I'm going to post a thread with my floor plan and we'll work out those "V" shaped thingys. For the actual "tests", I'm going to make up about 10 different things I've been wondering about for a few years. If I can pull it off, I'd like to do some Membrane Trap tests too. Anyway, I'll draw this stuff up for the thread.
fitZ :)
 
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