POLL: Dampening Material

joebleu · Post by **joebleu** » Mon Aug 11, 2003 10:56 am

Hi everyone, this is my first post SPCR. I hope you do not get too annoyed at yet another dampening material thread. I am hoping to get a poll of what everyone uses and am listing the top few choices that I have found reading up on this forum and other places including the pros and cons of each, as far as I know.

Please add more material choices, pros/cons, and vote! Also, feel free to correct me on prices.

Material:

AcoustiPack Deluxe ->INFO<- (~$90 USD)
Pros: Designed for dampening, Works quite well, Easy to work with
Cons: Expensive

Magic Fleece ->INFO<-(~$50 USD)
Pros: Designed for dampening, Works quite well, Easy to work with
Cons: Somewhat enpensive, not available in the US(?)

Dynamat ->INFO<- (~$30 USD)
Pros: Designed for dampening, Easy to work with
Cons: Somewhat expensive, Useless, Smells

Melamine ->INFO<-(~$10 USD)
Pros: Designed for dampening, Works quite well, Easy to work with, Cheap
Cons: May cause skin irritation, dust, and cancer due to fiberglass support (Health Hazard); fiberglass can be removed though

PaxMate ->INFO<-(~$10 USD)
Pros: Designed for dampening, Easy to work with, Cheap
Cons: Useless

Roofer's Tape ->NO INFO<-(~$10 USD)
Pros: Cheap
Cons: Unknown

Carpet Padding ->NO INFO<-(~$10 USD)
Pros: Cheap
Cons: Not designed for dampening

AC Filter Foam ->INFO<-(~$5 USD)
Pros: Works somewhat, Easy to work with, Very cheap
Cons: Not made for dampening

Seems Poll has been removed.... trying it again!

aphonos · Post by **aphonos** » Mon Aug 11, 2003 11:23 am

Welcome joebleu!

Thanks for working to put all this under one heading.

This may be a bummer, since you cannot edit your poll (unless that feature has been fixed), but it would be nice to see some of the other DIY products in addition to melamine. Roofer's tape is a DIY version of Dynamat. Carpet padding (both the rebond foam type and the heavier foam rubber type) are inexpensive DIY foam dampening products. Also might be able to add mass-loaded vinyl.

Paxmate, though pretty much (not totally) worthless, probably ought to be added as well.

Since you are seeking to summarize, it also may be helpful to distinguish between those products that are vibration deadeners via adding mass/weight and those products that are sound reducers via absorbing or deflecting sound waves.

re: your cons on melamine. The fiberglass layer(s) is removable.

I have a layer each of roofer's tape and rebond foam carpet padding. I have one layer of melamine on top of that just for the bottom of my case (only place I had room to put it...and hey, everyone needs a little melamine

). I also used Paxmate to block holes on the front face of my case, behind the bezel, to help control airflow. Total cost, including the $10 wasted on Paxmate before I knew better: $20.00 USD

I've mentioned this another place, but the rebond foam seems to work just as well as melamine, IMO. Not as pretty (unless you like the colors), but either just as or less expensive than the melamine and since it is usually available locally, you don't have to pay shipping.

joebleu · Post by **joebleu** » Mon Aug 11, 2003 1:30 pm

I have updated the list with new the information received... although it is still lacking links for the DIY stuff... I can't find links or info. Is roofer's tape simply the tape that holds the carpet padding? Or is it a material on its own?

it also may be helpful to distinguish between those products that are vibration deadeners via adding mass/weight and those products that are sound reducers via absorbing or deflecting sound waves.

I agree that those aspect should be added to the list.... but since i'm a newbie.. I have no idea which goes with which and what each of those terms actually mean! Could someone please enlighten me?

Poll cannot be edited, so just reply as your vote I suppose if your choice of material is not listed.

joebleu · Post by **joebleu** » Mon Aug 11, 2003 1:54 pm

Um.. i think i found a bug in the poll... but um.. try your best to vote

aphonos · Post by **aphonos** » Mon Aug 11, 2003 6:57 pm

joebleu wrote:Um.. i think i found a bug in the poll... but um.. try your best to vote

BITUMEN ROOFER'S/FLASHING TAPE
For those who are interested, here's a thread on roofer's tape: sound deadening materials again

It is almost exactly the same thing as Dynamat.

More info many be found in the forums by searching on roofer* or bitumen*

Here is a picture of the roofer's tape/flashing material that is bitumen adhesive on the underside and an aluminum layer on top:

Image pulled from this pruduct description

I paid about $12.00 USD at Lowe's for a roll.

ACOUSTIPACK DELUXE
Info link(s) should include Mike's review from the Cases & Dampening section on the main site.

SOUND ABSORBING & VIBRATION DEADENING

joebleu wrote:
aphonos wrote: it also may be helpful to distinguish between those products that are vibration deadeners via adding mass/weight and those products that are sound reducers via absorbing or deflecting sound waves.
I agree that those aspect should be added to the list.... but since i'm a newbie.. I have no idea which goes with which and what each of those terms actually mean! Could someone please enlighten me?

AcoustiPack Deluxe - Both
Magic Fleece - Both, IIRC
Dynamat - designed to reflect waves and vibration dampen. Hardly any sound absorption
Melamine - Sound absorption
PaxMate - Designed for absorption. Pretty much fails to meet design goals.

Roofer's Tape - see Dynamat
Carpet Padding - Sound absorption
AC Filter Foam - First time I've seen this mentioned at SPCR for this purpose. As usual, I'm skeptical until the evidence shows otherwise. I read the link you provided and my guess is the guy at Anandtech got more sound deadening from the "thick double sided tape" than he did from the AC filter. In light of other materials available, I would un-recommend this.

The fact that these materials accomplish different purposes is the reason you will often see them layered in people's cases--to gain the effect from each material.

Wedge · Post by **Wedge** » Tue Aug 12, 2003 12:19 am

I can only recommend melamine as it is the only thing I have tried. I like it for the aforementioned reasons: EASY to work with, cheap, and it works. It doesn't silence, but it does make a difference.

The AcoustiPak is better suited for the task, according to the review and the few testimonials. But damn.....$70 or so? I'll pass. Combine all the advice you can find in this forum about fans, PSU modding, grill removing, ducting, great HSF combos, and anything else you find useful and you most likely will get good results without AcoustiPak. If, however, money is no object....shoot for the gold.

WannaOC · Post by **WannaOC** » Tue Aug 12, 2003 2:44 pm

Just for general knowledge, you can pick up the Magic Fleece in the US at frozenCPU.com. It sells for 49.00 for a "Chenming 601 set".

Gooserider · Post by **Gooserider** » Fri Aug 15, 2003 12:40 am

I didn't vote for two reasons,

1. I haven't actually implemented any of those materials yet so I can't personally speak to any of them.

2. I intend to do a combination of materials, and it wouldn't be fair to vote for just one as the combination is what I'd be reccomending.

That said, I am on somewhat of a budget, which rules out the expensive (and IMHO way overpriced) material.

Of the budget approaches, it looks to me like a combination of roofers tape and carpet padding is the best way to go in order to get high performance for low $$$.

Gooserider

futureweaver · Post by **futureweaver** » Fri Aug 15, 2003 1:53 am

UK version ... This fabric is what we put under roofs - bitumen hasn't been used in the UK for many years - but it's probably too thin to be any use for sound treatment. However there is an alternative. Plastic DPC as used here is - er - plastic, like Dynamat, not bitumen, and pretty effective for deadening panels. Like the roof fabric, bitumen DPC hasn't been used for many years.

frosty · Post by **frosty** » Fri Aug 15, 2003 11:14 am

HELP - before I put down another level of roofers tape should I:

Put down carpet pad/mouse pad material then put the next coat of roofers tape or

Run two coats of roofers tape then complete with a sound absorber on top - carpet pad/mouse pads?

Any help is preciated

aphonos · Post by **aphonos** » Fri Aug 15, 2003 11:43 am

frosty wrote:HELP - before I put down another level of roofers tape should I:

Put down carpet pad/mouse pad material then put the next coat of roofers tape or

Run two coats of roofers tape then complete with a sound absorber on top - carpet pad/mouse pads?

Any help is preciated

Wow, 2 layers will be heavy. I vote for 2 layers together and then the sound absorber on top of that.

frosty · Post by **frosty** » Fri Aug 15, 2003 11:59 am

Thanks Aphonos, that was my thought too - btw I am a very big guy so the added weight should be no prob. :}

rbel · Post by **rbel** » Sat Aug 16, 2003 1:55 pm

I have recently installed AcoustiPak Standard in a Sonata - not a particularly easy job but it has made a noticeable improvement. I looked at the deluxe version but decided that the 17mm contoured sheet and the foam blocks for unused drive slots would not be of much practical use. I see that Acousti are going to launch a tailor made insulation pack for the Sonata in the not too distant future.

POLL: Dampening Material

Which do you recommend?

POLL: Dampening Material

To bad the poll doesn't do multiple choice...