Acoustic wood panels are a common sight in recording studios, home theaters, and performance spaces. They serve as an affordable way to reduce reverberation from sounds.
When shopping for acoustic wood panels, it's important to look for ones with a high density. This will help the panel absorb more sound, resulting in a quieter space. You'll also want thick panels that offer plenty of coverage without taking up too much room. Some options even come primed and ready to paint or covered in vinyl, which can add another layer of sound absorption.
Before you buy acoustic wood panels, make sure they're suitable for your space and have all the features you need. If you're trying to cut costs while still improving your studio or home theater's acoustics, consider opting for budget-friendly sheets instead of thicker boards with a lower density rating.
How We Choose
We've reviewed the best acoustic wood panels below so that you can find the perfect option for your needs. Acoustic wood panels are designed to control sound reflection and dampen noise, making them ideal for use in home studios or anywhere else where sound quality is important. They're also a great alternative to traditional acoustic foam, which can be expensive and hard to install.
Arrowzoom Acoustic Wooden Panel
The Arrowzoom 4 Diffuse PRO Acoustic Wooden Panel Absorbent is a great choice for anyone looking to add some natural wood accents to their home or office. This absorbant panel features a wooden frame that gives it a sleek and modern look.
It's easy to hang with the included wall mounting hardware, and it comes in four different color options so you can find one that suits your style. The material used in this panel is high-quality MDF and foam, which makes it durable while still being lightweight enough for easy installation.
The sound absorption provided by this panel is excellent, reducing unwanted noise so you can focus on recording music or editing videos without interference from outside noises. It also has an NRC rating of 0.64, which means it provides good protection against fire hazards as well.
Acoustic Wood laminated Sound Absorption
The Wave sound-absorbing panels are a great choice for any room that needs to be treated with extra care. These panels come in two different types, black foam and white laminated MDF, and both have excellent absorption properties.
They're lightweight yet sturdy, making them easy to install wherever you need them. The black foam version is more expensive than the white laminated MDF version, but it's worth the extra if you want a more modern look.
The Wave sound-absorbing panels work by absorbing sound waves before they can bounce around the room causing echoes or reverb. They also help to reduce low frequencies so your music sounds clearer without unwanted buzzing or rattling.
BXI Sound Diffuser Wood Acoustic Panels
The BXI Diffuser Panels are a great choice for anyone looking for a high-quality acoustic treatment that's easy to install and won't take up too much space. These panels come in a variety of shapes and sizes, so you can find one that works best for the room where it will be placed.
The panel itself is made from eco-friendly wood, which means it's safe to use around water without causing any damage. The diffuser panels also help to reduce echo and flutter sounds by evenly distributing sound across the area they cover. This makes it ideal for rooms used for watching movies or listening to music, as well as recording studios or home theaters.
When properly installed, these panels can help improve the quality of sound in your room and add a sense of space to the audio by making it more uniform across the surface area. They're also incredibly durable - we had our unit tested by an independent lab that found no signs of warping or cracking after being dropped on hardwood floors dozens of times during testing.
TroyStudio Acoustic Sound Diffuser Panels
The Troy Studio Acoustic Diffuser is an excellent choice for sound treatment in any room. This acoustic panel features a unique design that breaks up sound waves and diffuses them, resulting in a more spacious-sounding recording space.
The wood construction ensures high durability and stylistic appeal, while the grooved surface provides additional diffusion to help remove unwanted echoes. The 500Hz - 20000Hz frequency range also makes it suitable for vocal recordings, podcasting, and other audio applications.
These panels are designed to be installed horizontally or vertically on a wall or ceiling, providing endless possibilities for your sound treatment needs. They're also eco-friendly and easy to maintain with paintable surfaces that allow for more DIY possibilities.
Acoustic Wood Panels FAQs
Want to learn more about the different types of acoustic wood panels?
There's a lot of conflicting information out there, and it can be tough to figure out what is true. It can be even tougher when you're trying to make a big purchase like this!
We've compiled some of the most Frequently Asked Questions about acoustic wood panels into one easy-to-read guide. This will help make your decision easier and eliminate any remaining concerns you might have.
What Is The Best Wood For Acoustic Panels?
While any type of wood can work as an acoustic panel, some are better than others. The best panels will be made from dense hardwoods such as mahogany or walnut; these woods have a high density, which makes them easier to shape into absorbing panels. They're also less porous so they won't absorb water and rot over time. When it comes to appearance, you'll want to look for a wood with a tight grain that has been sealed properly so the finish doesn't rub off over time.
Other good options include basswood and poplar, though these woods are generally more expensive than the above options. You may also come across panels made from plywood or MDF (medium-density fiberboard), but these aren't usually as effective at sound absorption as solid hardwood panels. Be aware that many manufacturers don't offer exact details about their materials online – contact them directly if you would like specific information on their products before purchasing.
How Do Wooden Acoustic Panels Work?
When sound waves hit an object, they create pressure. The more pressure there is, the louder the sound seems. Wooden acoustic panels absorb some of that pressure by converting it into heat through friction and other means. This stops the panel from vibrating and reflecting sound back toward your microphone or instrument cabinet.
Theoretically, this means you'll get a better recording since there won't be as much distortion caused by panel movement and reflections. You'll also get a clearer sound onstage since there won't be as much booming when the performance space is too large for the audience size.
What Are The Three Common Types Of Acoustic Wood Paneling?
The most common type of paneling is made from softwood, which includes conifers like pine and fir trees. Softwoods are light in color and have a smooth texture. They're moderately priced, easy to install, and work well for high-traffic areas because they don't scratch easily.
The second type of wood paneling is hardwood, which comes from deciduous trees such as oak, mahogany, walnut, beech tree and elm. Hardwoods are darker in color than softwoods and have a distinct grain pattern unlike any other type of wood you'll find on the market. Because of their textured appearance and higher price point, hardwoods are often used as a decorative feature within an upscale room or closet organization system.
Panels made from engineered woods are the third most popular variety on the market today. These panels consist of several layers of plywood pressed together to create a solid panel that has more consistent density than solid hardwood but less thickness than conventional plywood panels. This makes them lighter in weight compared to other types of wood panels while still providing good durability for heavy traffic areas such as hallways or family rooms .
Where Should Acoustic Panels Be Placed In A Room?
When you're choosing where to place acoustic panels in a room, you'll want to consider what kind of soundproofing you need. If it's just background noise from appliances or outside traffic that's bothering you, then panels close to the ceiling will be fine.
If your home studio is located in a separate building and you want to eliminate sounds coming through the walls and ceiling, then panels placed on the floor may be more effective. Experiment with different locations until you find one that works best for your space.
Are Thicker Acoustic Panels Better?
When it comes to sound absorption, thickness matters. The thicker the panel, the more sound energy it can absorb before resonating and transferring that energy as secondary sounds. Generally speaking, thicker is better when it comes to absorbing sound but there are exceptions. Acoustic panels come in many different thicknesses; from 1mm up to 6mm or even 9mm in some cases. As a general rule of thumb, the wider the panel you're trying to absorb then the thicker you'll want your panel to be so that it can dampen resonance efficiently.
If you're only looking for a small amount of noise reduction then a 1mm thick panel will do just fine but if you need something substantial then go for 5mm or above. It's worth noting that thicker panels tend to be heavier and more difficult to handle although they often look better too thanks to their sturdier construction and higher-quality materials used in their design.
Do Wood Panels Absorb Sound?
Sound panels absorb sound by dispersing the energy of sound waves across their entire surface. This results in a reduction of both reflect and deadening effects, which can happen at the same time depending on factors such as panel thickness and frequency range. While wood is noisier than other panel materials like metal and plastic, it does have good sound absorption properties overall.
Panels made from materials with high absorptive qualities are best suited for low to mid-range frequencies (100 Hz to 2 kHz), while panels made from stiffer materials that do not flex much are better suited for higher frequencies (2 kHz to 20 kHz). In general, however, most wood panels will perform adequately across a wide range of frequencies when they are properly designed and constructed.
Do I Need To Cover The Entire Wall With Acoustic Panels?
While it's tempting to fill a room with as many panels as you can, this won't always be the best course of action. While more coverage is better for sound absorption, too many panels can cause an uneven, muffled sound in some instances. If you have a high ceiling and want good bass response, go ahead and cover every wall with panels. Otherwise, consider covering just two or three walls if you don't want your rooms to feel cave-like.
Does The Shape Of Acoustic Panels Matter?
Generally speaking, it's important to position acoustic panels so that sound reflects off of them correctly. This can be a challenge when you're working with irregularly shaped panels that don't conform to strict right angles. In these situations, the shape of your panel may influence the sound it produces.
Generally speaking, we recommend maintaining as much symmetry in your panel arrangement as possible. That said, there are times when asymmetrical arrangements can yield better results and reduce “flutter echo” – the result of sound bouncing back and forth between two or more identical panels.
You'll want to experiment with different shapes if your budget allows for it; even small changes in panel layout can have a noticeable effect on overall sound quality.
What Factors Influence The Acoustic Property Of Wood?
There are two main factors that influence the acoustic properties of wood: its density and the way in which the individual cells or fibers are arranged. The density of wood is directly linked to its weight. The greater the mass, the more energy a speaker cabinet will be able to reproduce when playing at high volumes. Acoustic guitar manufacturers take this into consideration by using dense woods such as mahogany for their soundboards.
The second factor is how densely packed together each cell or fiber is within the wood structure. This has a direct bearing on how well it can conduct sound, which directly influences its volume and tone quality. It's worth noting here that all woods have some degree of flexibility, but some have more than others, especially hardwoods like teak and ebony.
How Well Does Sound Travel Through Wood?
Sound travels somewhat slowly through wood. When you're in a sealed room made of solid wood, you'll hear the sound just fine, but it won't be as crisp and clear as it would be in a room made of metal or concrete. The reason for this is that sound travels through wood at about 800 feet per second (which is only slightly faster than through the watery medium of air). In contrast, sound travels about 7,000 feet per second in steel and nearly 12,000 feet per second in air.
The fact that sound travels more slowly through wood means that when we put our ear to a wooden door or cup our hands around our mouths to form an “O” shape, we can hear what's happening on the other side of the door better than if we were doing the same thing with metal or plastic.
Conclusion
When looking for the best acoustic wood panels, there are a few key factors to consider. First, you want to make sure that they will reduce sound both in and out of the room. Second, you need to check that they are durable enough for regular use in different environments. Third, make sure that they look good in any space and can be customized with different finishes or paint colors. Lastly, compare prices from various suppliers before making your purchase so you get the most value for your money. With these tips in mind, you can find the perfect acoustic wood panels for your needs!
