Acoustic ceiling panels

Acoustic ceiling panels reduce echo and reverb where sound bounces around a room the most – between the ceiling and the floor. Here you'll find foam and PET absorbers from Mega Acoustic and Audiotec that you can fix to the ceiling, and most of them to the wall as well. They're a good fit for a home studio, rehearsal room, home cinema, living room or office. You can choose from pyramids, wedges, waves, HoneyFoamPRO hexagons and panels with a wood-grain finish.

Where should you put acoustic ceiling panels?

They help most above the spot where you listen or play. In a studio, that's the area above the mix position between the monitors and your head, where sound reflecting off the ceiling reaches your ears first. Above a drum kit, the panels tame harsh cymbal reflections, and in a living room or office they quieten the echo above the sofa or the desks. A bare ceiling is a large flat surface, and sound bounces between it and the floor like a fast, repeating echo, known as flutter echo.

Foam, PET or wood finish – which panels should you choose?

• Foam panels made of polyurethane foam are light and easy to glue: pyramids, wedges, waves and HoneyFoamPRO hexagons, often in packs of 20 to 50 pieces.
• PET panels from the AcouScreen and AcouCloud ranges are made of polyester fibre; the AcouCloud range is designed specifically for ceilings.
• Foam panels with an HDF backing in oak and beech finishes (the PA-PM8K range) both absorb and diffuse sound.

Sizes range from 30 × 60 cm to 240 × 120 cm.

Will the panels also deal with bass and noise from the neighbours?

Panels on the ceiling mainly absorb mid and high frequencies, so speech and vocals sound clearer and recordings cleaner. A thicker panel reaches a little lower, but deep bass in the corners of a room calls for bass traps. Absorbers won't soundproof a room – they won't stop noise coming in from the neighbours or going out to them, as that's the role of the building's sound insulation. To mount the panels, you'll find adhesives and accessories for acoustic panels.