Hands On: Acoustic Geometry Pro and Home Room Packs – CEPRO – CEPro

Acoustic Geometry's line of Pro and Home Room Packs can be used to control the negative effects of bad room acoustics.

One of the most complex and misunderstood subjects in the electronics industry is acoustics.

A case could be made that electronics companies arent helping the cause with the development of equalization programs that are touted to solve these acoustics issues in an almost turnkey fashion.

The best or perhaps most proven way to deal with acoustical issues is through the combination of absorption and diffusion acoustical products, as well as smartly applied equalization when necessary.

Providing integrators with a choice of prepackaged room kits that are designed to service specific room sizes in the residential and commercial markets, Acoustic Geometrys line of Pro and Home Room Packs can be used for everything from home theaters to podcast studios.

SendingCE Proits Home Room Pack 3, we installed this kit in our multimedia studio space where we test AV components and shoot our videos.

Acoustic Geometry offers its Pro and Home Room Packs in preconfigured sizes with a limited choice of colors. The size of the packages allows integrators to choose the appropriate solution for a specific size room without having to pass on the cost of unneeded products to homeowners.

The bundles combine products that provide phase-coherent diffusion, along with absorbing panels and solutions that are designed to minimize low-frequency modal issues.

Looking specifically at the Home Room Pack 3 bundle, it comes with six 22-foot 1-inch absorber panels; four 24-foot 2-inch absorber panels, and a pair of small-curve diffusors that measure 14.5 inches by 42 inches by 5 inches.

Explaining the inclusion of the Small Curve Diffusors, Acoustic Geometry says these products are engineered to scatter sound energy to produce a more balanced listening space. The absorption panels act as the name impliesthey absorb acoustic energy to minimize the effect of echoes and reverberation.

Utilizing the training that I took from the Home Acoustics Alliance (HAA) and THX, as well as the past experience I have from designing other rooms, I took an approach with the studio space to make the room less reverberant for better voice intelligibility, and to support a smoother bottom end for audio playback.

Before I installed the products, I measured the room using the Audio Tools app on my iPhone XR and pink noise test tones from Rives Audio. This enabled me to take a snapshot of what is going on in the room acoustically before the addition of the Acoustic Geometry products.

After documenting my before measurements from 20Hz all the way up to 20kHz I had found in our square room (square rooms are not conducive to good sound reproduction) is that we had boomy low frequencies and a really pronounced midrange/upper midrange.

Getting into the install process, the panels hang easily enough through the use of the included mounting accessories like drywall anchors. The only tools I used were a tape measure and a drill with screwdriver tips. If I felt it was necessary, I also could have used a stud finder if I thought there were concerns about the weight of the panels and the durability of the panels once they were mounted.

Following the before measurements, I strategically placed the panels in our AV room with the goal of improving the sound of our videos and Q&As, which are done with the use of an InFocus interactive display.

Install times will vary depending on the size of the room and the exact acoustic package, but with that being said, these acoustic packages shouldnt take too long to install when hanging on standard drywall.

Measuring the room after I had installed the panels revealed they did work to minimize the boominess of low frequencies from about 25Hz to 125Hz.

Considering the price of the package and the relatively small investment in the installation of the panels, theres no doubt the package provides proven results that realistically cost less than the esoteric, snake-oil products that so-called audiophile companies often market.

The Acoustic Geometry panels also minimized some room dimension effects in the midrange and upper midrange areas where I measured spikes at 800K and 1.6kHz.

In addition, the response of the space with higher frequencies displayed a smoother roll off up to 20kHz.

Considering the price of the package and the relatively small investment in the installation of the panels, theres no doubt the package provides proven results that realistically cost less than the esoteric, snake-oil products that so-called audiophile companies often market.

Id like to point out the companion mounting hardware is installer friendly, so integrators wont have to worry about sticking themselves with the impaler types of mounting hardware that some companies include with their acoustic products, which is obviously a nice bonus.

I would like to see more standard color choices. The choice between graphite and Serengeti (tan) I think limits integrators ability to sell these packages to their clients that want solutions that complements their homes dcor.

Otherwise, the only other issue I found with the products was the tacky, glue-like feel on some of the absorbers back panels, which made unpacking the items a bit longer than necessary.

My conclusion after my pre- and post-measurements is that for a reasonable amount of money these acoustic packages provide integrators with a scalable level of verifiable performance to improve the sound quality of residential and commercial spaces, and thats why I recommend checking out these product lines from Acoustic Geometry.

MSRPs vary depending on the kit and color options. The Home Room Pack 3s starting retail cost is $1,838.99.

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Hands On: Acoustic Geometry Pro and Home Room Packs - CEPRO - CEPro