Home Theater Room Soundproofing

[mayhem85]

Needed to soundproof my aged parents home theater room in Hyderabad and was seeing quotes for 420-450Rs/Sqft for wood+acoustic+cloth panelling work. Is that a reasonable estimate for a quality job? I am not sure if this is even overkill for their setup (5.1.4 atmos + projector planned). Has anyone had any luck DIYing this with a carpenter for much cheaper?

The total cost for just the panelling work is around 2.5L for a room 12.5 feet x 14 feet.

 

[Kapeel]

I have been thinking of soundproofing my room door and windows with DIY 3M Self Adhesive, Soundproof & Weatherproof Strip.
Can you share details of all you get by spending 2.5L ? Is it just soundproofing the room or acoustic treatment as well ?

 

[Phani24]

I have been thinking of soundproofing my room door and windows with DIY 3M Self Adhesive, Soundproof & Weatherproof Strip.
Can you share details of all you get by spending 2.5L ? Is it just soundproofing the room or acoustic treatment as well ?

Accoustic is better.

 

[Yelamanchili manohar]

Needed to soundproof my aged parents home theater room in Hyderabad and was seeing quotes for 420-450Rs/Sqft for wood+acoustic+cloth panelling work. Is that a reasonable estimate for a quality job? I am not sure if this is even overkill for their setup (5.1.4 atmos + projector planned). Has anyone had any luck DIYing this with a carpenter for much cheaper?

The total cost for just the panelling work is around 2.5L for a room 12.5 feet x 14 feet.

I think 2.5L is reasonable if a contractor does everything for you. Many years back, I did up my room myself. And it took almost 2 weeks of toiling, plus around 70 or 80k in material I think. The contractor would provide a way better fit and finish, and no double guessing the final outcome with the right contractor. Plus they are pro's and can do good lighting, and concealed wiring etc...so you will get your moneys worth in the end.

 

[mayhem85]

@Kapeel: To make it acoustic like this: https://morganhugo.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/padded-cinema-room2.jpg

@Yelamanchili manohar: Yes, they are handling everything on their own, including wiring, etc.

If others have contractors for cheaper price, I am all for it.

 

[Yelamanchili manohar]

@Kapeel: To make it acoustic like this: https://morganhugo.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/padded-cinema-room2.jpg

@Yelamanchili manohar: Yes, they are handling everything on their own, including wiring, etc.

If others have contractors for cheaper price, I am all for it.

Thanks for the pic. The room in the pic is very well done with lighting and a high quality finish. Definitely worth 2.5L in my books

 

[prateekatasniya]

Needed to soundproof my aged parents home theater room in Hyderabad and was seeing quotes for 420-450Rs/Sqft for wood+acoustic+cloth panelling work. Is that a reasonable estimate for a quality job? I am not sure if this is even overkill for their setup (5.1.4 atmos + projector planned). Has anyone had any luck DIYing this with a carpenter for much cheaper?

The total cost for just the panelling work is around 2.5L for a room 12.5 feet x 14 feet.

This isn't sound proofing..
This is room acoustics.

If you need acoustics.. then this isn't the right choice.. and cost is high.

 

[prateekatasniya]

@Kapeel: To make it acoustic like this: https://morganhugo.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/padded-cinema-room2.jpg

@Yelamanchili manohar: Yes, they are handling everything on their own, including wiring, etc.

If others have contractors for cheaper price, I am all for it.

such room if done without right acoustics will be a nightmare ( guaranteed)
because it will be completely dead, making the room weird and unwelcoming.

cost wise- yes it will cost 450-550.

what goes behind the fabric is very important- foam all around is the standard ( sub standard) practice .
this 1 inch thick foam make the room DEAD.
i have heard form a lot of contractors saying we have 20 years of experience. ( analogy - a quack treating people form 20 years does not become a doctor)
i rarely am so vocal with my opinions, but as I deeply resonate with your thought of building a home theater space for your parents, i could not stop myself form sharing such a post.

P.S. even I dream of gifting my parents a dedicated home theater space because they watch 3 movies every weekend

 

[ajuvignesh]

such room if done without right acoustics will be a nightmare ( guaranteed)
because it will be completely dead, making the room weird and unwelcoming.

cost wise- yes it will cost 450-550.

what goes behind the fabric is very important- foam all around is the standard ( sub standard) practice .
this 1 inch thick foam make the room DEAD.
i have heard form a lot of contractors saying we have 20 years of experience. ( analogy - a quack treating people form 20 years does not become a doctor)
i rarely am so vocal with my opinions, but as I deeply resonate with your thought of building a home theater space for your parents, i could not stop myself form sharing such a post.

P.S. even I dream of gifting my parents a dedicated home theater space because they watch 3 movies every weekend

I thought foams never work. Do they really attenuate the sound to make a room dead?

 

[mayhem85]

@prateekatasniya I don't know what the contractor claimed since I wasn't involved in picking, but the images he shared was this. Basically it's an empty concrete room and my parents need it soundproofed so that there is no echo and neighbors don't complain.

If not foam all around, what do people do? What would be your recommendation?

 

[Yelamanchili manohar]

I thought foams never work. Do they really attenuate the sound to make a room dead?

Foam works only in the higher frequencies and absorbs all the treble reflections in the room. However, it leaves out all the mid range and bass frequencies as they are. This leads to a frequency imbalance in the perceived sound, as the sound we hear, is a mix of direct sound from the speakers, plus reflections coming off the room boundaries. With all the treble reflections being absorbed, the treble is reduced, and this results in what is called as a dead room.

So the room should be treated, so as to have equal absorption at all frequencies concerned. And that is the difficult part

 

[mithrandir_001]

Hi, new member here. I really appreciate the useful discussions in this forum. Can anybody suggest a good contractor for home theater acoustic treatment in Hyderabad. DIY is not possible for me. Thank you in advance.

 

[prateekatasniya]

Foam works only in the higher frequencies and absorbs all the treble reflections in the room. However, it leaves out all the mid range and bass frequencies as they are. This leads to a frequency imbalance in the perceived sound, as the sound we hear, is a mix of direct sound from the speakers, plus reflections coming off the room boundaries. With all the treble reflections being absorbed, the treble is reduced, and this results in what is called as a dead room.

So the room should be treated, so as to have equal absorption at all frequencies concerned. And that is the difficult part

Along with this, the total absorption in the room is an important factor.
Larger surface area of absorption leads to reduced reverberation time.
Balance absorption, diffusion and reflection based on the room size and