why is acoustic foam so expensive?

[josha]

Is it science or just a huge mark up-surely foam isn't too pricey to make?!?

[natpub]

ewwww---foam....look at mineral rock wool, or high density firm OC 703 type acoustic insulation. Foam is good for beds and cutting up for mic boxes.

[88fingerz]

Originally Posted by josha

Is it science or just a huge mark up-surely foam isn't too pricey to make?!?

It's simple: You need it.....and they have it!

[Glenn Kuras]

Well I don't have first hand knowledge of there book keeping, but I would think that some of the bigger ones do spend a lot on R&D and testing. Now the ones that just sell foam who don't have test numbesr/R+D, like Foam By Mail, are just a rip off. I am sure they are making one heck of a profit.

Glenn

[beats workin']

i've been told that the machine that makes the foam is really expensive- like in the hundreds of thousands. could be true.
agreed- foam is good for mic boxes, not for sound treatment.
david

[Jack Pettit]

I don't know much about foam prices but I do know something about foam as an acoustic treatment.
It's not that good, Compressed fiberglass (703,704) or Ethan Winers bass traps will give better results.
This is only my opinion but I have done both types of rooms.

[LewKellogg]

Believe it or not, in addition to the machine being expensive shipping is atrocious. It costs a lot to ship foam due to the size… Doesn’t weigh very much but will fill up a truck very quickly, you have to stack it on top so it doesn’t crush, etc.

[Reza]

Foam is a complete waste of money. Either read up on DIY panels (fibre glass, rockwool etc), or call glenn at GIK.

They ship world wide. I'm ordering a bunch to be shipped to Australia.

He's posted above - though didn't mention his own products. Check out his Website www.GIKacoustics.com

Give him a call and talk things through with him. He's very helpfull and will take the time to work out what products (his and/or others) are best for your room, needs and budget.

Rez

[MasterTrax]

Although I agree that there are better products, foam is certainly not a "waste of money". I have heard some really nice rooms done almost entirely with Auralex kits. My home studio is about 50% Auralex and 50% higher grade stuff of different kinds including a couple of DIY projects. Foam's usefulness depends on the applications which are admittedly a little limited.

Before someone says something is a waste of money they should hear it in action first. Statements like that indicate preconceived notions based on a healthy lack of knowledge. Perhaps we should call Auralex on the phone and tell those stupid assholes to go home and stop wasting their time designing that crud.

I made my own window treatments, gobos and bass traps which contain no foam. But there's still a lot o' square feet of foam here, and if I took it down even the most ignorant would hear the nasty artifacts it was working quite well to eliminate.

M

[theblue1]

Originally Posted by natpub

ewwww---foam....look at mineral rock wool, or high density firm OC 703 type acoustic insulation. Foam is good for beds and cutting up for mic boxes.

Apples and oranges.


Foam isn't for isolation/soundproofing, it's for diffusing/soaking up reflected sound...

[Glenn Kuras]

Originally Posted by MasterTrax

Although I agree that there are better products, foam is certainly not a "waste of money". I have heard some really nice rooms done almost entirely with Auralex kits. My home studio is about 50% Auralex and 50% higher grade stuff of different kinds including a couple of DIY projects. Foam's usefulness depends on the applications which are admittedly a little limited.

Before someone says something is a waste of money they should hear it in action first. Statements like that indicate preconceived notions based on a healthy lack of knowledge. Perhaps we should call Auralex on the phone and tell those stupid assholes to go home and stop wasting their time designing that crud.

I made my own window treatments, gobos and bass traps which contain no foam. But there's still a lot o' square feet of foam here, and if I took it down even the most ignorant would hear the nasty artifacts it was working quite well to eliminate.

M

You are totally right. I get calls/emails all the time with people saying "Should I take down my Auralex?". Depending where they have it in there room I say no! It can work on the first reflections in a room. Even when they have there corner foam I tell them to just put our panel in front of it.

Glenn

[sonixx]

Originally Posted by natpub

ewwww---foam....look at mineral rock wool, or high density firm OC 703 type acoustic insulation. Foam is good for beds and cutting up for mic boxes.

doesn't seem you have a clue...

Foam like Auralex can be very beneficial when applied correctly...

[mbrebes]

I use it for controlling high frequency splatter around my soffeted main speakers. You also need to remember that the two main reasons it is so expensive is 1) it is made out of different materials than regular foam, so that it can meet fire retardant specifications, and 2)it costs more money to be able to cut it to the fancy contours of most of the acoustic foam versus the simple egg-crate pattern of the cheap stuff.

[6strings]

I've heard adding flame retardant chemicals can add to the cost. Don't buy the cheap junk if you go with foam!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Station_nightclub_fire

I'm in the process of building broadband panels (muslin fabric over rigid miner fiber insulation board), but the flamabillity of the fabric makes me nervous. I gotta look into that spray-on fire retardant I guess...

[gregl]

Foam is not necessarilly bad, but foam as the only acoustic treatment (particularly in small "problem" rooms) generally isn't a good idea. You get a lot of absorption at mid frequencies, a little diffusiion at high frequencies and not much else.

The end effect is problems at the low end becoming even more pronounced. However, in a properly trapped room (or one where you at least have broadband traps in the corners, foam can be usefull for cutting down flutter echoes and near reflections. Personally I like the sound of 703 or mineral wool better.

One last caveat- when using 703 in a small room be carefull of how much you are using and how you are using it. For mid to high absorption it is better to use small
pieces (2x2 maybe) spaced apart than plastering a lot of large pieces all
over the walls. If you do this the HF suck can be pretty high. Also covering it with
fabric mitigates a lot of the excessive HF suckout that can occur.

For bass traps its a different story, but I still think it sounds better (and is safer for your lungs) when covered in fabric.

[fraz]

I use foam, 703 panels and bass traps.

There's a use for all.

My $0.02.

[u b k]

703/705 does everything foam does, and more, and it does it better.

it does not look as cool, though.

foam is expensive because it purports to solve all of people's acoustic problems, and people are apparently willing to pay the premium to fix their ills. people, home recordists in particular, tend to have a lot of acoustic problems, so they understandably go for the only visible, well-packaged, cleverly marketed product that is available nearly everywhere: rpg or auralex foam.

while foam can be helpful for a limited set of issues, with limited effectiveness, it is primarily successful due to hype. very successful hype, but hype nonetheless, targeted at a mostly ignorant and ill-informed consumer.


gregoire
del
ubk