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Building a new foldable Acoustic Panel

I worked all morning, but around 3pm I went out to the garage and was pleased to find that the spray paint had dried and was not the slightest bit tacky to the touch. YEAH!

So, I brought the outer frames into the house and used my dining table to do the final assembly. First I installed one of the fabric wrapped frames to one side of the upper panel:
AcousticPanel_TV_09.jpg

Then I flipped it over, rolled out the cotton insulation, cut pieces to fill the cavity, then installed the other fabric wrapped frame to the other side. The result was a finished upper panel:
AcousticPanel_TV_10.jpg

Then I did the lower panel which has the legs installed.

Here's the lower's insulation filling as it was expanding after being removed from the compressed plastic bag:
AcousticPanel_TV_11.jpg

After I finished assembling the lower panel, I mounted the hinges and tested how well it stood up:
AcousticPanel_TV_12.jpg

Looking good, if I do say so myself!!!
 
I was too eager to see it in my listening room, so I carried it upstairs without much effort - it isn't heavy, just bulky. I placed it on the floor in front of the TV and took some photos:

AcousticPanel_TV_13.jpg

AcousticPanel_TV_14.jpg

AcousticPanel_TV_15.jpg

AcousticPanel_TV_16.jpg

I have to admit, the colors I chose and the shape that worked best makes these two panels look like two Fender Bassman Speaker Cabinets stacked on top of each other.

That said, they cover the TV extremely well and should greatly improve the stereo imaging and detail from my speakers when doing serious critical listening. YEA!!!

I found it very easy to lift the upper panel up and lower it back down just by standing in front of it and pressing my hands to each side to grab hold. I don't think I'll need a handle. Also, if I put a handle on the moving panel which will be sticking out the back while flipped up, I will have to move the panel a few inches forward to protect the TV. I kinda like the panel being less than an inch from the TV. I do think I'll put some little furniture feet on the bottom of the legs at the front and rear edges to add to the stability on the carpet.

This was a fun and relatively affordable and easy project. I also have some cotton insulation left over which I may use for more bass trapping.

I'll report back on my impressions of the acoustical performance once I get to spend some time with this in place.
 
So after some measurements and additional tuning with the panel in place (I chose to tune everything for the best sound while the panel was upright since that's how I'll be doing critical listening) I am completely blown away. The stereo image is as good as I've ever heard in a room as small as mine. The left to right image is as spot on and nuanced as you can get, and the depth is as good as I've gotten in this room. I still need to put stuff back into the shelves behind the listening position, which is needed, and that will improve the depth and sense of sound coming from the rear.

With soundtracks, the illusion of sound coming from behind me is pretty damn amazing. I was watching Ozark and there were moments where the ambient outdoor sounds of the lake or creek was as good as I've heard with a full on surround system. Crazy stuff. I have to assume the downmixing chip in the Pioneer TV uses Dolby's encoder which takes rear content and puts into the stereo channels out of phase to be decoded by an old school analog Dolby Pro decoder. Whatever it is, it works perfectly.

This is grand. I recommend it to everyone with an acoustically reflective TV screen.
 
I'm thinking I'll add a couple of small pegs to the side of the upper/moving panel to make it easier to grip when I am raising it up. Lowering it is easy as I can let it fall free the last 15%, or so. When I lift it, the way I grab it now could just as easily move the entire assembly around as merely lifting the panel. A little finer control would help.

I think I'll cut a couple of 2" long dowels and drill a simple receiving how on the sides of the moving panel and stick the dowels in without glue. That way I can simply pop them out if the need arises.
 
Seriously dude you need a motorized mechanism with a remote control so you can just push a button and it'll flip/flop into position. Get with the modern times, man.
 
a hook and loop to secure the top when raised would be nice for if kids are around to keep off their heads. Yes I know you don't have little ones running around most of the time.
 
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