Hi All,

My wife made a multipanel painting, which I am hoping to use as an acoustical treatment. The canvas frames are 1-1/2" deep, so I am thinking of putting some sort of acoustical material inside the frames. I was planning on mounting the installation behind the main seating area, directly opposite of the L/C/R main speakers. The center panel is about 3'x5' mounted horizontally, and the two flanking panels are 3'x'1 mounted veritically (the panels will have a 1" gap between them). Is there any readily available material that would turn this into a cost effective acoustical treatment, or would it be a waste of time? :confused:

ANY opinions are greatly appreciated.

Happy 4th!!!

Will

I think it would work out fine, but how reflective is the canvas?

Mark

There are at least two issues to attend to. If you want to use these to absorb broad-band or high frequency reflections, the acoustical properties of canvas and paint are very relevant. If you want to use them to absorb bass energy, they are best placed at the junction of boundaries (room corners) and/or made much thicker. (In theory, the canvas/paint membrane can be effective in adding mass for bass absorbtion but that would be hit-or-miss without knowing more about them.)

Finally, you can get 1" (or thicker) compressed fiberglass (OC703 or equivalent) but the performance will be dependent on the factors above.

I think it would work out fine, but how reflective is the canvas?

Mark

That is a good qustion. The canvas was "pre-primed" and my wife used artist grade acryllic paint. She did put a light coat of satin sealer over it too. So, the reflectivtiy is probably higher than would be ideal.

We had a similar scenario in another HT, but the Frames were only 3/4" thick. I put some rigid foam insulation behind them, and it did seem to diffuse the higher end echoes (could be wishful thinking though).

I guess my question is whether it is worth it to put some sort of material to "fill" the frames; and if so, what type of material?

TIA,
Will

That is a good qustion. The canvas was "pre-primed" and my wife used artist grade acryllic paint. She did put a light coat of satin sealer over it too. So, the reflectivtiy is probably higher than would be ideal.

We had a similar scenario in another HT, but the Frames were only 3/4" thick. I put some rigid foam insulation behind them, and it did seem to diffuse the hihr end echoes (could be wishful thinking though).

I guess my question is whether it is worth it to put some sort of material to "fill" the frames; and if so, what type of material?

TIA,
Will3/4" foam behind a painted canvas probably made no significant contribution. I am somewhat pessimistic that your plan will do much other than to make the room appear as you like. 1" of any acoustical material will affect mostly higher frequencies due to the lack of thickness/mass but the relatively acoustically opaque canvas will prevent that by reflecting higher frequencies.

How about interesting your wife/artist in silk-screening on open fabrics? :)

3/4" foam behind a painted canvas probably made no significant contribution. I am somewhat pessimistic that your plan will do much other than to make the room appear as you like. 1" of any acoustical material will affect mostly higher frequencies due to the lack of thickness/mass but the relatively acoustically opaque canvas will prevent that by reflecting higher frequencies.

How about interesting your wife/artist in silk-screening on open fabrics? :)

Silkscreening onto a better fabric might be a possibilty. We could recycle the existing frames if she wanted to. I guess I will just get the paintings hung as-is for the moment. Thanks for the feedback!

Mount the paintings on 4" to 6" deep frames that are mounted on the wall, as boxes. Then fill the boxes with mineral wool or fiberglass. This will serve as a reasonable bass trap, and will do a little bit to break up the higher end (diffusion) because of the distance difference between painting and wall.

Mount the paintings on 4" to 6" deep frames that are mounted on the wall, as boxes. Then fill the boxes with mineral wool or fiberglass. This will serve as a reasonable bass trap, and will do a little bit to break up the higher end (diffusion) because of the distance difference between painting and wall.

Is 3 foot high enough though?

Mark