I'm in the market for treating my room. Problem is... I'm Canadian and it's prohibitively expensive to ship that crap here.

I've got a few companies I'm interested in:
GIK Acoustics - Good room kits, excellent reputation.
Auralex - Good room kits, functional and aesthetically cooler than panels.
RealTraps - Excellent reputation.

I've managed to find a Canadian distro for Auralex stuff. GIK Acoustics doesn't have a Canadian distro (which is a shame). It'll cost me $250 just to ship a room kit here, plus whatever customs decides to ding me for @ the border (tax, brokerage, duties). I haven't checked if RealTraps has a Canadian distro yet.

My question is does anyone:
a) Know somewhere in Canada who sells reputable acoustic paneling etc?
b) Have any experience with using GIK, RealTraps, or Auralex treatments?

Please include some suggestions of other brands if you know any/have used any. I'm really interested to know how the Auralex stuff works, as it's the best looking stuff I've found.

Hello Xenos:

I posted links to some additional manufacturers on one of my corporate websites a few weeks back:
http://audiodesignlabs.com/wordpress/category/tech_talk/acoustics/

I hope this helps...

Cheers! :D

Helps with regards to having more options, but doesn't help on cost.

RealTraps is too expensive.
GIK Acoustics is very tempting if it weren't for the damned shipping.

Can anyone comment on Auralex foam panels and LENRDS? Auralex is priced pretty good, have a Canadian distro, and look cool aesthetically. But how do they perform compared to the GIK/RealTraps stuff?

If I were to order a room kit from let's say... GIK. It'd cost $800 plus shipping/taxes/duties/brokerage. I would wager that the cost of shipping and the rest of it would be AT LEAST 50% the price of the damn room kit to begin with... if not more.

I've got a 7.1 system and need to treat the room so that it's good for both surround, and stereo.

In that case go with GIK and ignore percentages and shipping etc. Just look at the total cost for a solution, which is a good deal IMO.

--Ethan

Xenos,

If you can get OC 703 or 705 up there would you be up for making your own?

Xenos,

If you can get OC 703 or 705 up there would you be up for making your own?

That would depend on a few things
1) How well DIY with OC would compare to the "real thing". I like to know what I'm getting. NRC ratings, absorption coefficient reports and customer/professional reviews are nice.
2) What is involved in the DIY process.
3) How the final product looks.
4) How long it would take me to do it.
Finally, how much cheaper? :D

Xenos,

1) I can’t give the specific answer to this question but I know a lot of the folks who make there own use this product. You maybe able to find the information you are asking about somewhere on the web
2) Ordering the OC, make frames and cover with fabric
3) I guess as good as you can make them (the ones I made are linked below)
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=849737&highlight=exojam
4) This depends; I am in a wheelchair so it took me awhile to do. I figure for a “walker” it would not be too time consuming.
5) I paid around 500 for everything (wood, fabric and OC) and still have tons of 703 left over.

I use the Auralex 2" Soundwedges for my first reflections and they help significantly. If I were to do bass traps - I'd go the DIY route since some of the locals have done this with decent results and I have all the tools to build the corner bass traps.

Here is the link to a Montreal manufacturer of acoustic paneling. They have sold their panels to several cinemas in and around the city.

http://www.accocinema.com/index.html