Panel and acoustic treatment of a home theater room

Acoustic panels for home theaters

Historical

You have heard of the THX standards?

This standard which labels a multitude of Home Cinema (HC) equipment for their quality of restitution is not limited, at the base, to technical-marketing criteria.

When multi-channel systems arrived in dark rooms, countless acoustic problems came with them.

For equipment manufacturers and installers, the 2.0 system was already generating a lot of difficult to manage acoustic problems … But certain architectural solutions made it possible to transport sound where it was necessary with a sufficiently intelligible reproduction for the criteria and films of the time.

With the multi-channel system, the management of reflections and resonances has become impossible to master.

The result was very bad, and a radical and effective solution had to be found.

This is how the THX standards were born. To recreate an environment favorable to the reproduction of sound in cinemas. These standards therefore passed, above all, through an acoustically treated room.

Today, all cinemas are acoustically treated.

It is important to note also that the digital processing integrated into your electronic devices does not in any way manage the problems related to resonances, echoes, and reverberations.

Whether you have digital processing or not, passive processing in a home theater is essential!

The technical specifications of the acoustic treatment of a home theater

Réverbération acoustique : les spécificités techniques du traitement acoustique d'une salle de cinéma

The acoustic treatment of a home theater is specific.

In fact, there are many broadcast points as well as one or more listening points.

The number of primary reflection points is therefore increased tenfold.

To absorb them requires treating as many reverberation zones as there are pair of speakers.

However, too much absorption is not desirable either.

Indeed, there is a risk of making the sound less “alive”.

This is often what happens in mainstream cinemas. The sound is enveloping but lacks realism. There is a feeling of “distance”, which is not desirable.

It is therefore necessary to absorb with thinner acoustic panels. And ideally, diffuse acoustically in certain areas. Acoustic foams can also be an option for absorbing.

On the attached image, we present a suggestion of the areas to be treated and with what types of solutions.

It must be adapted according to your tastes and your experience!

This suggestion makes it possible to obtain a living, energetic piece, with an incomparable immersion.

In blue: dissemination zones
In green: absorption zones
In yellow: the ideal placement area for listeners

The quantity of panels to be used is variable.

The larger the room, the greater the number of panels required.

If the decorative aspect of your room is important to you, know that there are decorative acoustic paints.

Traitement acoustique d'une salle de cinéma : les zones à traiter

Typically, we advise you to treat the areas close to the front speakers as a priority, as for a HiFi system.

Gradually, depending on the results, add panels.

Of course, at PYT Audio we can support you in your home theater project. Our design and acoustic advice office will guide you in your project.