Sound waves will travel from the speakers and bounce off of just about any flat surface in a room. The issue with a cube-shaped room is how the acoustics will travel. The Shape of a Room Effects How Sound Travels Within ItĪs I mentioned at the beginning of this post, you want to avoid using a cube-shaped room as a home theater room. There are some things you can do to control the acoustics in the room if you are unable to change the actual size of the room. Just because a room is large enough to fit all of the components to a home theater, doesn’t mean it is ideal for how it will sound! However, do keep in mind, a room that doesn’t match one of these “golden ratios” is still perfectly acceptable to use as a home theater room. The shape of a home theater room is pretty important with regard to acoustics. Ratio AĮxample 1: Height of 8ft = 8 x 9.12 x 11.12 with a cubic volume of 811.32ft³Įxample 2: Height of 10ft = 10 x 11.4 x 13.9 with a cubic volume of 1584.6ft³ Ratio BĮxample 1: Height of 8ft = 8 x 10.24 x 12.32 with a cubic volume of 1009.25ft³Įxample 2: Height of 10ft = 10 x 12.8 x 15.4 with a cubic volume of 1971.2ft³ Ratio C (Much Larger Rooms)Įxample 1: Height of 8ft = 8 x 12.8 x 18.64 with a cubic volume of 1908.74ft³Įxample 2: Height of 10ft = 10 x 16 x 23.3 with a cubic volume of 3728ft³ How Important is the Shape of a Home Theater Room? I will explain more about this below, but first, here are some examples of room sizes using the above “golden ratios”. A room within one of these ratios is much more likely to carry low-end frequencies better with less acoustical problems. These ratios were developed by studying the wavelength of low-frequency sound and how it reacts inside of different sized rooms. Note that these ratios are based on the height of the room! L.W. I am going to recommend three “golden room” ratios developed and researched by L.W. There are so many different ones out there that deciding on which one is “right” can be extremely difficult. There have been countless studies done on ratios for the best acoustics in a room. I will do my best to explain some of the common or recommended ideals for the sizing of a room, as well as, other things to consider when choosing a home theater room. The topic of home theater room dimensions has been debated for many years. Ideally, the room should also be large enough to accommodate a projector screen/television, seating, enough space for speakers, and sometimes the equipment. Instead, use a generally accepted ratio of H (Height) x 1.28H (Width) x 1.54H (Length/Depth). The biggest suggestion is to avoid cube-shaped rooms where the height, width, and depth of the room are equal or very similar. There are many ways to soundproof a basement.Unfortunately, there is no one size fits all for a Home Theater Room. Once you determine the type of noise you want to block, you can renovate your area to reduce the noise levels. Banging pots, footsteps, doors closing, and balls hitting the ground are examples of impact sound.

The sound from one object hitting another radiates off the surface and transmits the noise to other rooms or areas. Impact noise occurs when the force of an object hits another surface. Music, loud voices, and notes from musical instruments are all examples of airborne noise.

The sounds can travel through walls, ceilings, and floors or bounce around the hard surfaces to get from one room to another. Also, soundproofing the basement ceiling is one of the more cost-effective and easy renovations that can be done to increase the level of comfort and privacy in all rooms of the home.īefore you begin soundproofing a finished basement ceiling, first you must figure out the noise you want to block:Īirborne noise is noise that travels through the air from one place to the next. Soundproofing the ceiling tiles will reduce the noise that travels between the upper and lower levels. In this case, you should consider basement noise reduction when renovating your basement.

Every homeowner knows that hearing sounds of TV’s stereos, games, and conversations that carry from one area to another can be irritating.

Basement sound control