Registered: 12/16/07
Posts: 29
Loc: Trinidad and Tobago
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hello I am looking into building a bookshelf to cover the entire back wall of my studio which will be filled with books (as I currently lack space to store books).
My question is, how well will a bookshelf work as a sound diffuser?
Registered: 01/05/05
Posts: 611
Loc: Atlanta GA USA
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If anything books or anything made from paper/cardboard is going to absorb rather then diffuse. I would recommend either building or buying a true diffusor or make the bookshelf into an absorber by putting rigid fiberglass into it. Also random things like books really is not the proper way to diffuse, Read about how diffusion really works here http://www.gikacoustics.com/education_diffusion.html
Registered: 12/16/07
Posts: 29
Loc: Trinidad and Tobago
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thanks! I wonder tho, will it make things worse? Is it a bad idea? Because I need shelf space in my house in general and I am having absorption panels put in (2' by 4' 6" thick mineral fiber in the corners and 2' by 4' and 4" thick on the front and side walls at the first reflection points).
But in order to do this I have to change the orientation of my room and remove a large bookshelf, so I was going to move it to the back wall. It's fine for now if it does not diffuse that well, but will it cause problems?
Also the back wall in question is really thin ply wood so the sound travels right through to the other room, which is why I don't have bass absorbers on the back corners.
Registered: 01/05/05
Posts: 611
Loc: Atlanta GA USA
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who knows if it is going to "cause a problem" but I can say for sure it is not the best way to go. You would need to test it before and after to see if it became better or worse. :laugh
Registered: 06/12/00
Posts: 5299
Loc: New Milford, CT, USA
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Originally Posted By: gullfo
LOL, a few years ago I had the idea to do make a cardboard template to arrange CDs on a shelf that way. I shoulda patented the idea - I bet I would have sold at least 4 of them.
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