Customer Reviews

Auralex Studiofoam Designer Kit Charcoal Gray

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was previously looking at similar acoustic panels that were $4-5 each, so to stumble on 32 of these for $59 was shocking. I've got 25 mounted over the listening area of my home theater and it looks and sounds so nice. I'm pondering getting a few more cases...

Here's a tip - if you want only a semi-permanent installation discard the included Tubetack caulk and get some DAP Seal 'n Peel. [...] Holds these up just fine, and will peel away without damaging the paint or drywall should I chose to remove them.

Auralex has been around a long time and their foam does what it says it will do. No news there.

I'm going to disagree with the reviewer who recommended using DAP Seal 'n' Peel, though, if you want to preserve the paint behind the foam. Seal 'n' Peel will hold these panels up, but it will also leave stains. Instead, I suggest you buy some foam board (several brands, sizes, and quantities available here at Amazon), glue the Auralex panels to the foam board, then hang the foam boards as you would a picture.

There are several benefits to this.

1) No stains, of course.

2) Since you're almost always going to be hanging these 1x1 squares together in arrays, it's much, much easier to get them straight and square by gluing them up on horizontal foamboard than gluing them one by one to the wall, where they're going to want to slide. Let gravity work for you instead of against.

3) It's also easier to then get these foamboard-backed units to hang straight on the wall (or at angles, if you prefer), by using good ol' picture-hanging technology.

4) If you wanted to get fancy, you could frame the foamboard-backed units.

5) You could also suspend the units from the ceiling or from curtain or picture rods, so there is space between the back and the wall, which will give you a bit more low-frequency reach.

By the way, just so you can plan accurately: these squares are not actually 12" x 12". They're 11.75" x 11.75". Hard to believe they lose an entire .25" cutting this stuff, so I'm not sure why they're so far off.

I Bought this and the DAP seal and peal just like the first guy said. This stuff is awsome, it looks really nice and is so easy to put up. With the DAP seal and peal i can take it off whenever i want without the walls getting messed up so this is the best product i could buy. This is a great deal and have bought 2 boxes because i just can not pass this up.

I admit I purchased this when it was on sale for $59 but I'd even pay the current $100 for it having bought and used it. I uploaded a picture so you could see how I used this stuff to soundproof "picture frames" that fit in all three of our bedroom windows.

We live near a busy street and my wife works nights/sleeps days. The traffic noise was relegating her to the couch, so I thought a long while about soundproofing the bedroom to help her out. The problem is that most soundproofing windows are extremely expensive and I didn't have a lot of jack to throw around, so then I got the idea about soundproofing with foam building the "picture frames."

I went online looking for pretty much precisely this material, and everything I was finding was hundreds of dollars. Imagine my surprise when I ran into this batch of 32 for $59! I jumped on it!

Well, I couldn't be happier. When my "picture frames" are in place (and they're held in by magnets, so it's really easy to just *click* and take them down to let in the sunshine) - the bedroom is like a TOMB. When the really big buses go by you can kinda feel the vibration in the house but the room itself is so quiet it's hard to believe. This stuff worked so well, I'd actually pay full price for it now, knowing how effective it is.

I was afraid I may get a multi-colored assortment at the price of $59 and the thumbnail showing purple, red and charcoal. Pleased to find all charcoal colored pieces. They work as any wall foam would, drowns and deadens the noise inside the room. I thumb tacks these up on a common wall in my bedroom so I can watch TV or play games at night without worry of disturbing my neighbors. You'll hear the difference right away, it sounds different without an echo, so much quieter even inside your own room. I am happy with this product and will purchase it again for any future needs.

It's hard to complain getting such a good deal on this many Auralex tiles. My one regret is not all the tiles are the same shade of grey. I did not notice until they were all glued in. I ended up with an odd sort of patchwork look. Maybe that's why they are priced so low or maybe it's just the nature of the product. Regardless, they certainly took the harshness out of the room nicely.

I would like to start my review by thanking N. Johanson and Trent Austin for shining light on how simply this material can be used with much, beneficial effect.

As noted in the comments sections of these two reviewers, my goal was to dampen my livingroom--specifically where I have my mic installed--so as not to add room reverberation in my original recording. If your original recording isn't as dry as possible, the effect of effects are unpredictable, to say the least.

I installed this material with two light boards from Lowe's. Once th ewfoam arrived (along with other accessories that I purchased at the same time), I didn't want to wait to order foam boards (although my girlfriend and I believe that it would've made the installation much easier since th ebaords weren't very kind to the Spray Adhesive that I bought (thanks to a reviewer--READ THE REVIEWS; can't stress this enough).

Initially, as inferred in my previous paragraph, the Spray Adhesive was not very effective. When I awakened the next morning to find all of the dampening squares in a pile around my microphone, it was surely disheartening.

Thus, I attempted to use the adhesive that comes with the squares. The adhesive does appear to work better than anything, but it must be the most difficult stuff to work with! Loaded into a manual caulk gun, the adhesive took every ounce of strength that I had to just get a bead of glue. We worked through it and was able to get one panel of twelve completed before going back to the spray adhesive. This time around, I sprayed a medium coat and held the pieces in place as directed.

When I awakened this morning, the pieces I had installed were still there. Great--especially considering I planned a recording session this evening.

...

When the first installation was completed (the one that fell), I tested out my equipment to ensure I had made a great--or atleast satisfactory--decision.

There's no question. This is necessary for any true recording set-up--even if it is in your living room (like me)... My previous recordings were hard to decipher that I recorded at home... Now, it's just a whole other level of sound that is pleasing and very, very professional. My girlfriend, who just trusted my judgement, but didn't quite understand the fuss, agreed that my recording (un-mixed, un-mastered, un-equalized) was a lot more professional...indecipherable from music we were just recently listening to in the car.

Amazing!

If you're on the fence about it, or not quite convinced, do take my words to heart:

If you're recording, and trying to get the best sound for the budget, purchasing this (which is a great deal right now) will put you on the next level...

Thanks for reading...

I've been using my "studio" for mixing and vocal recording for about a year now... The foam we got in this kit did a great job for controlling rogue waves and calming our room down. With a predictable room, you can record predictable results. Anyway, I used the tubetak stuff that came in the kit.. I'm sure its been mentioned before, but BEWARE of the tubetak.

I had to pull the foam down and convert my studio to a nursery, and when i pulled the foam, the tubetak decided to take CHUNKS of drywall with it. I've spent the last 2 days patching holes in the drywall so i can repaint.

A review below mentions hanging on foam board.. This would work fine, or you can also use "handy panel" from home depot. Its like a giant sheet of balsa wood.

I'll buy this kit again when I have enough room to rebuild a studio or theater.

If you have a middle or high-end home theater setup, or if you deal in sound, you will need some sort of sound dampening to flatten frequencies and diminish echoes of one type or another. Otherwise you're not getting the best out of your sound producing eqipment. You will notice the difference. Trust me!

Better get these now before the price goes up! This is a steal and you won't be disappointed. I bought this and a box of the Bergundy foam and im so glad I did. I even had a little left over for another room. This is a fantastic product so you should click away and get some.

As for hanging tips: I used nails in the center of the pads and "DAP Seal & Peel" glue to hold down any corners that didn't hug the walls to my liking. But the nails alone were more than enough.

Can I begin by saying, use a staple gun and call it a day! So many reviewers had this method and that of getting these things fixed onto your walls and ceiling. I tried the Dap stuff, which the odor is still embedded in my nostrils! Soooo not worth the trouble. The foarcor idea sounded reasonable. Ultimately, I pulled out my staple gun, carefully placed it, and I had all the tiles up in less than a half hour. They're each so light you don't need to go hammering nails or using industrial strength glues. Crazy talk.

Although, I do need another shipment cause it just dented my small space of a room.