Acoustic Panels Review

I had the chance to check out and review acoustic panels made by Tonnen Sound specifically the sublime model. They are a pre-made panel you can buy on Amazon. Like most people when building my home theatre I couldn't decide between making my own acoustic panels or buying some pre-made ones. So I got a few of these to test and try.

The panel comes packaged really well, it's a black fabric wrapped over fibreglass stitched into a D shape. I should mention that these panels (although we'll be testing them for sound absorption) they're meant to remove Echo, mostly used in home theatres and Studios. They aren't meant for soundproofing a room. Each panel comes with mounting hardware and a mounting template. The back is pre-mounted with velcro and comes with metal washers covered in velcro for mounting flush to the wall.

Now in the video below I tested just how good the panel is by placing the three different panels infant of a loud speaker to check for absorption. If you watch the video, you can hear how it compares versus standard DIY rock wool insulation and another type of Amazon acoustic panel that uses three inch foam. The Rockwool is fairly comparable however the foam panel is mostly ineffective. The Sublime panel works the best, you can really hear how much the panel is blocking as I remove it. The panel definitely blocks more than the other two and it should with the NRC rating of 0.87

For anyone not sure how to determine panel placement. It can be found by sitting where you normally do and having a partner move a mirror along the wall. Wherever you see the speaker from your point of view is where you need to mount the panels.This will reduce the echo from the speakers to your ears.

The install is pretty simple you can measure to the top of the included template from the ceiling but for my purposes I'm going to use a laser level. Hold the included template level at the desired height and using a push pin or Thumbtack press into the centre of each circle. Make sure you smooth the paper flat as you go. The benefit of using a pin is it holds the paper up as you do all four corners. It's also easy to adjust the paper with the pins in. Remove the template and you'll have four holes marked on the wall. Drill a hole in the marks. Put in a drywall anchor and attach the velcro washers to the wall with the included screw. You can use an impact or a regular screwdriver will work just fine. Make sure the screw is in the centre of the washer and attach all four washers to the wall. Then using a level, stick the panel to the other velcro. This may take a few attempts to get it straight.

I tested these panels against vibrations for my subwoofer as well as me pushing and pulling on it and I had no issues with it holding to the wall. The velcro is more than enough. Once it's level push the four corners of the panel to make sure it's seated against the wall. And you are done.

You can now enjoy your shows and movies Echo free.

My final opinion on these panels after using them for a while, is they're worth taking the risk on. They do perform well, they're very well built, the stitching is very nice and they're easy to mount. They do look really nice and professional on the wall. I'm pretty happy with them I think they're good value.