Technical specifications

AcousticArt artworks are made from a solid aluminum Tuffline frame, a unique framing system that allows the graphics to be changed easily. The frame holds a high density echo absorbing foam with a Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC) rating of 0.4 and with adequate coverage, will typically reduce reverberated noise by approximately 40%.

When it comes to room acoustics there are two distinct forces at work when sound pressure is introduced into an enclosure such as a listening room. Mid and high frequencies, their wavelengths being far shorter than any room dimension, do not excite room modes. These frequencies travel in a ray-like manner, "beaming" about the room like shafts of light, or like a billiard ball striking and rebounding from the cushion of a pool table. The classic clapping of hands while walking about the listening room will excite these frequencies, manifested by an audible ringing accompanying the sound of the clap. Low frequencies, on the other hand, whose wavelengths are far greater than any room dimension, behave quite differently. The propagation of these frequencies results in room modes, or massive peaks and dips in sound pressure caused by reinforcement and cancellation. These peaks manifest themselves as high-pressure hot spots in the listening room, resulting in very audible frequency response anomalies.

A very real, yet rarely discussed, problem related to low-frequency room modes, is that of masking. Excessively long low-frequency decay severely masks transients and, more importantly, low-level midrange detail. The massive energy of what I'll term bass echo can literally swamp delicate low-level information. Another fascinating property of the bass resonance is its ability to shift the tone of a bass note as it decays, directly affecting what is often referred to as pace and timing. The shifting effect of a bass resonance can be explained in terms of room resonance. If a bass note with a frequency near, but not equal to, a resonant frequency of the listening room is launched into that room, it will still manage to excite the room's resonant frequency. The result is that the original note is heard to decay not at it's true frequency, but at the resonant frequency of the room. This results in a type of smearing which is detrimental to the intelligibility of the original signal.