Preface: Because this last project was DIY, I considered posting it as a new item in the Acoustical Treatment forum. But since the project itself completes the treatment of the bedroom audio system as a minor supplement to the existing GIK installation, I'm posting it here to put it in its overall context.
The bedroom audio system's original acoustic treatment complement was predicated on the assumption that the two jewel cases parked atop the dresser on either side of the center Monster would eventually be moved out of the room. But after due consideration, my wife concluded that for practical reasons the cases would stay where they were. As suggested by the first photo, the proximity of each case to its respective speaker presents a not insignificant SBIR problem.
I knew going in that covering each case with an appropriately-dimensioned 3/4"-thick slab of on-hand packing foam was hardly a solution, though I soldiered on with that yeah-they're-only-there-for-looks arrangement for several weeks before deciding that I had to get real.
Based on an earlier email discussion with Bryan Pape regarding the SBIR issue presented by the dresser's massive wooden front which resulted in the purchase of two 2'x2' 244s, I decided that I'd need a 12"x15" rough equivalent of a 244 to front each jewel case. My wife rolled her eyes...but ultimately it came down to "Okay, Jim, if that's what you really want."
With DeWalt table and miter saws in my tiny basement workshop, a heavy-duty Stanley staple gun, a scrap hardboard panel to square-form the fabric cover, and an old futon frame from which to cadge pine slats I could fashion into a basic frame, I figured I could go DIY. I ordered a single 2"-thick 2'x4' Knauf 6 PCF acoustic "board" and then went off to the local Jo-Ann Fabric store. There I got some muslin ticking and a host of other-customer funny looks (I was the only male in the store) as I held up bolts of cloth to the light to get an idea of their acoustic transparency.
Here's the back end of one of the workshop results.
The front end with two Knauf batts, one behind the other, forming a 4" trap. In cutting the Knauf panel, I found a utility knife useful only to perform the initial scoring of the surface. Using a hacksaw gave me the reasonably square cuts I was able to make.
The trap covered. I did the get-it-tight stapling, but my wife's the real hero in figuring out how to fold the excess fabric corner-tight and then doing it like the good sport she is.
Finally, how the new traps fit in the big picture. Please pardon the tilt--I shot this while sprawled out on the bed.
The end sonic result? Nothing subtle about it. Much better, woolly-free bass definition. Better overall sonic resolution. And, where the recordings embed it, a greater sense of space.
Happiness is...
Jim