Ok, so I finally got round to repeating my SPL testing in the kids bedrooms following my DIY cinema room build including sound insulation measures.
I couldn't get the exact same volume in the cinema room (slightly lower. I assume due to the sound absorption and furniture).
But I compared the differences between the SPL in the cinema and the SPL in kids bedroom with the music at same volume.
Before build:
With in-room SPL reading LCSMax of 90.9 dB.
I got 70.1 in Bedroom 1 (directly above), giving 20.8 delta.
55.5 in Bedroom 2, giving 35.4 delta.
After build:
With in-room SPL reading LCSMax of 86.9 dB.
I got 63 in Bedroom 1 (directly above), giving 23.9 delta.
47.2 in Bedroom 2, giving 39.7 delta.
Comparing Before vs After build:
-3.1 dB impact in Thea's room.
-4.3 dB impact in Zander's room. It doesn't sound a big number, but if I remember correctly 3 dB is half the power.
So I'm pretty happy with the result.
In practice, I can be listening to music/movies at a good volume and barely hear it in the room directly above.
My testing approach:
Sound insulation:
My main objective was to create a space for the new cabling, but also wanted a balanced approach to sound insulation as the kids bedrooms are directly above and I want to be able to listen/watch at good levels.
Ceiling Measures:
I couldn't get the exact same volume in the cinema room (slightly lower. I assume due to the sound absorption and furniture).
But I compared the differences between the SPL in the cinema and the SPL in kids bedroom with the music at same volume.
Before build:
With in-room SPL reading LCSMax of 90.9 dB.
I got 70.1 in Bedroom 1 (directly above), giving 20.8 delta.
55.5 in Bedroom 2, giving 35.4 delta.
After build:
With in-room SPL reading LCSMax of 86.9 dB.
I got 63 in Bedroom 1 (directly above), giving 23.9 delta.
47.2 in Bedroom 2, giving 39.7 delta.
Comparing Before vs After build:
-3.1 dB impact in Thea's room.
-4.3 dB impact in Zander's room. It doesn't sound a big number, but if I remember correctly 3 dB is half the power.
So I'm pretty happy with the result.
In practice, I can be listening to music/movies at a good volume and barely hear it in the room directly above.
My testing approach:
- I used the same Sonos One (as didn't have an operational HiFi pre-build), set to 95% volume and placed in the same location in the cinema room.
- Used REW's SPL Level Logger to record the same 90 sec clip of Latch feat. Sam Smith.
Sound insulation:
My main objective was to create a space for the new cabling, but also wanted a balanced approach to sound insulation as the kids bedrooms are directly above and I want to be able to listen/watch at good levels.
Ceiling Measures:
- Genie Clips with metal furring bars.
- Double layer of 12.5mm standard plasterboard, silicon sealant applied in between.
- Cavities filled with Rockwool Acoustic Slabs.
- New Plasterboard had 5mm gap around the perimeter, which was then filled with silicon sealant.
