WSR's
Holosonic Home Theatre System Part III - Acoustical Design Part
I
By
Gary Reber
Widescreen
Review's New State-Of-The-Art Reference
Theatre At New Facility
This is Part III of a series of articles
on the design, development and execution
of the new state-of-the-art Reference Home
Theatre Laboratory at WSR's new office
facility in Temecula, California (north of
San Diego, southeast of Los Angeles) that
serves as Widescreen Review's and Surround
Music's review laboratory. Part I appeared
in Issue 48. The conclusion of the series,
Part VII, will appear in Issue 53 (October
2001).
Our dedicated theatre measures 26-feet
deep x 21-feet, 8.6-inch wide x 13 feet,
11.9-inch high, or approximately 8,000
cubic feet in volume.
The entire home theatre room and the
rear-projection room were constructed with
the complete QuietZone® Noise Control
System build-materials package from the
Owens Corning Science and Technology
Center Acoustical Design Division. In this
Part III, Dr. Peter D'Antonio, President
of RPG Diffusor Systems, Inc., presents
Part I of an article about the acoustical
design approach taken for the theatre.
RPG's VariScreen and Skyline acoustic
treatments dominate the theatre's design.
By using RPG's VariScreens we are able to
have variable acoustic control to adjust
for various loudspeaker systems under
review.
As a follow-up to Part II in Issue 49, I
visited with Ken DeLasho of the Industrial
Acoustics Company during a recent business
trip to New York City. By implementing an
integrated system of QuietZone build
materials and IAC acoustic doors, we were
able to achieve a Sound Transmission Class
rating of STC-63 for the theatre
construction and a STC-61 rating for the
doors. STC is a single number (laboratory)
rating of how well a structure (wall,
floor, door, window partition) reduces
sound passing through it. A minimum STC-60
(partition) performance level is
recommended for home theatre.
Mr. DeLasho showed me a new series of
acoustic doors which are wrapped in a wood
veneer finish to complement home
interiors. The doors looked extremely
attractive with performance at the highest
STC values. IAC doors are the best
acoustic doors made and the subject of
conversation by everyone who experiences
our new home theatre laboratory. These
doors work - shutting out noise
potentially entering the theatre and
sounds in the theatre from leaking into
the other areas in our new facility.