Can someone tell me if it is important to have a carpet on the floor in a home theater ? Is the sound better ?

14 years ago

Can someone tell me if it is important to have a carpet on the floor in a home theater ? Is the sound better ? Or would hard wood floors do the same ?

Thank you for the help !!!!!!
Peggy

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Featured Answer

yaryar033

13 years ago

Yes to carpet. It helps absorb sound. If this is a diy project then pass up on the sound panels unless you have a big budget for it. Most home theaters "experts" recommend sound panels yet they themselves have no idea on the proper use and placement of these panels. I know. I built my own home theater in an upstairs game room that is 20 by 20 Ft above the garage. I have researched and have read many, many blogs from DIY people just like you and I. If your walls are concrete or blocks, like in basements, then you can use any 4X6 sheets feet of carpet tied onto each other, nailed onto the wall and frame it. You can get these carpets cheaply at home improvement stores. They will do what expensive sound panels will do. Absort sound.

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Comments (7)

michigammemom
14 years ago
Carpet is the preferred floor covering for home theaters. Also keep in mind that dark paint colors are recommended for optimal viewing.
PRO
Matt Patterson Custom Homes
14 years ago
Absolutely use carpet. On top of that I upholster the walls. Under $1,000 if you DIY.
PRO
Intainium Home Cinemas
14 years ago
Hi , peg49.
Yes to carpet, absolutely. While comfort is a nice by-product the main reason is it helps absorb sound. We also recommend using "sound panels" on the walls. We usually run a room thru our software to locate and optimize sound panel locations and design so as to make sure there are no interference sounds and standing waves or anything else that would corrupt the audio experience.
If there's anything we can help you with please don't hesitate to contact us.
Regards,
Greg

Greg Snyders
INTAINIUM Home Cinemas
Brian Cofer
11 years ago
@yaryar033 - Randomly placing carpet on the walls is a ridiculous solution for room treatment. It will only absorb a very small amount of higher frequencies, while simply reflecting or passing all other frequencies. You are far better off saving up a bit and having the room evaluated by a professional to use the proper amount of treatment in the proper places. Even random placement of acoustical panels can end up doing more harm than good in some cases - every room is different and should be "treated" as such. For the DIYer, you can make very good acoustic panels for about the same price that you would pay to hang carpet on the walls, but they still need to be properly placed.
PRO
Ingen Acoustics
11 years ago
This is absolutely true. Carpet only absorbs a very small amount of high frequency resonances in a room. Have someone who really knows sound examine the room and give suggestions. You really need to focus more on the speakers spl at different frequencies to determine what would work best for your situation.
PRO
HomeTech Innovations, LLC
11 years ago
The carpet definitely helps avoid reverb and echo. You can get good sound with wood floors by setting up the system properly, though.