Sound Deadener Showdown

Transcription

Sound Deadener Showdown
Version 2 Updated: October 19, 2005
© Copyright Don Sambrook - SoftWork Orange, 2005 - All Rights Reserved.
Products Reviewed: B-Quiet Extreme and Ultimate, Brown Bread, Cascade Audio Engineering VB2, Dynamic Control Dynamat
Original and Dynamat Xtreme, Elemental Designs eDead v1 and eDead v1SE, FatMat, RAAMaudio RAAMmat BXT, Second
Skin Damplifier and Damplifier Pro,
Introduction
This site is my attempt to sort through the world of automotive sound deadening products. When I first
encountered the process, I found it very difficult and confusing to gather enough objective information
to make an informed decision.
Add in the marketing hype and snake oil and even after a great deal of research, I still didn't know if I
should do it and if so, which products were best suited to the task. I ended up just diving in and was
lucky enough to have a good outcome. Other people haven't been as fortunate. I hope this will make
the process easier.
Prevent alien mind control while driving!
Well to be honest, that's one of the few outlandish claims I haven't seen made for these products. When the actual benefits are
so outstanding, it is completely beyond me why anyone sees the need to resort to crazy exaggerations .
There are two general classes of deadening/damping products. Liquid deadeners can be sprayed,
brushed or applied by trowel, depending on formulation. In most cases, these take some considerable
time to apply. They require several layers, with curing time between applications. Since I don't have a
garage and need to use my car every day, liquid products didn't seem like a good choice for me.
The second and most popular group of products are the self adhesive mats - generally a thin layer of
rubberized asphalt and/or Butyl compound with a constraining layer of aluminum foil on the exposed
side and release paper protecting the adhesive before installation. These are the products I will try to
evaluate through a few basic tests and some observations.
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There really seems to be more false and misleading information than reliable facts in this product
area and I will do my best to cut through the mess. Product failure can have significant negative
consequences. I want to help you avoid that.
There are a few basic questions I hope to help you resolve. Is sound deadening worth the cost and
effort? Which product will best suit your needs? How far should you take this?
In the world of automotive acoustic enhancement there is a product whose name is synonymous with
the entire category. Much as Kleenex is used to describe all facial tissues, Dynamat, manufactured by
Dynamic Control of North America, Incorporated in Hamilton, Ohio is the de facto standard. It is a
high quality product with tremendous name recognition and the Dynamat Xtreme product was the
pioneer in the Butyl based sound damping field.
The main problem with Dynamat Xtreme for many people is the cost. If you only need two square feet
for your speakers, you won't even notice the price. If you are planning a full vehicle installation, as I
did, you may see your cost rising into the thousands of dollars, just for this first step. This situation
has created an opening for many competing products. Some compete solely on price, some address
a specific need that Dynamat Xtreme may not meet, but there are currently a dozen or more products
available, specifically sold for automotive use. There are also many products designed for other
purposes that people have used.
I have seen enthusiastic recommendations for every manufacturer's product as well as various
materials designed for other purposes - from tar paper to pouring concrete into car doors.
When I hit the price wall, I investigated as many alternatives as I could find. I looked carefully at the
roofing products before rejecting them out of concern for their durability in a car parked in the sun all
day during hot and humid Maryland summers. This is when I ran into the lack of useful comparative
information available.
There are plenty of recommendations out there but I found it difficult to determine which were based
on solid reasoning and which had a less useful motivation. There really aren't a lot of people with
significant experience with a range of products. The products change often. If you buy them for your
own use, that will probably be only once every few years. If you are a professional installer, you are
probably locked into one product. This isn't like speakers that you can change on a whim. If it works, it
is there for good.
To try to bridge this information gap I decided to gather as many samples of different products as I
could, put them through some basic but repeatable tests and compare the results for the benefit of
those of you trying to make an informed decision.
This is not laboratory level testing. I make no claims of precision at all. I also made no attempt to
determine the relative effectiveness of the products when properly ins talled. Since the basic function
of these products is to:
•
•
•
Add mass to panels to move resonance out of the audible
range
Reduce vibration through viscoelastic damping
Reinforce panels to prevent flexing when subjected to sound
pressure
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•
Act as a barrier to the transmission of unwanted sound
(noise)
It is most important to determine which products can be reliably installed and will be durable enough
to last a long time. Failure in these areas can have really serious and difficult to correct
consequences. After that, we can try to figure out which materials are most effective.
Finally, I've thrown in some photographs, specifications and pricing comparisons.
Why Do It?
Before I found the solution I didn't know I had a problem. My new car didn't have any of the rattles the
car I traded in had. The engine had a nice smooth sound and I was quite pleased. I did notice that cell
phone conversations required more effort than I cared for and that the stock sound system was
typically unrewarding to listen to. Like every one else, I had noticed that many luxury cars provided a
completely different interior experience. Quite ride, better stereo and a really satisfying thump when
you closed a door. I always thought it was nice, but never considered it a big deal.
I don't think that most people, myself included, have ever really considered just how noisy most cars
really are. That's just the way it is.
The only thing I really wanted to do was slightly improve the sound of the car's stereo. Nothing big,
maybe an amplified subwoofer in the trunk. I looked into the possibilities, stumbled on to sound
deadening, and here we are.
Most cars are inherently very hostile acoustical environments. Engine noise, road/tire noise,
wind noise and the cacophony generated by nearby vehicles combine with light weight sheet metal,
plastic trim and lots of glass to create an extreme challenge to anyone looking for quiet or sound
quality on the road.
There are two basic concepts that need to be addressed. First, reduce the level of noise coming from
outside the passenger compartment. This is the noise "floor" with which the sounds you want to hear
must compete. Conversation or your audio system must be loud enough to be heard above this noise
level.
Second, control the reflections, resonances and rattles that are generated by the noises comprising
the noise floor and your sound system itself.
Sound deadening is the first, most basic step toward controlling vehicle acoustics.
The principle is simple. Vast areas of our vehicles consist of highly resonant expanses of sheet metal
and plastic. Hit them with a sound wave and they start vibrating. These vibrations are distorted
versions of the original sound and propagate throughout the car adding to the overall noise level.
Just as you can stop a tuning fork's vibration by touching it with your hand, sound deadening does the
same thing with vibration prone panels. When you touch the tuning fork two things happen. First, your
hand adds mass, lowering the resonant frequency of metal. Second, your flesh is resilient and damps
the vibration through resistance. This second effect is called viscoelasticity. If you poke your hand
with your finger, the flesh is compressed and then rebounds to its original shape. The adhesive layer
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of a deadening mat works in much the same way. When the surface to which it is attached vibrates,
the viscoelastic adhesive is moved and then returns to its original shape more slowly than it was
displaced. The vibrational energy is converted to a very small amount of heat and dissipated. When
you see a product described as viscoelastic, remember that the term describes a property, not a
particular composition or material.
Applying a damping mat to the sheet metal of a vehicle has a second significant benefit, it reinforces
the surfaces to which it is attached, making them more rigid. As hard as it can be to visualize, our
sound systems can cause significant changes in air pressure inside a small, closed environment like
a car or truck. Especially at high volumes, these pressure changes will actually cause the vehicle's
sheet metal to flex in and out in reaction. The energy that is used to flex the sheet metal is energy lost
from the audible range. The flexing action will add distortion to the audible frequencies that are not
lost.
Both of these fundamental benefits reduce noise and preserve the sound waves we want. Very good
things indeed.
There are two bonus effects that come along automatically. Since we have already dealt with the
transmission of noise via vibration of the vehicle's sheet metal and trim, we need to consider the other
ways we can stop noise from entering the passenger compartment. We can block them and we can
absorb them. We block them with a barrier - a wall that sound has trouble penetrating. We absorb
them with material that acts like a sponge, except that instead of soaking sound waves up and
holding them inside, it gradually slows then down until they no longer exist.
The barrier and absorption properties of the products reviewed here are significant, but generally not
a complete solution by themselves. We will need other products to fully achieve our goals. These
properties are often exaggerated by the marketing hype put forward by those selling damping mats to
the point that you could reasonably expect their product to change your Toyota into a Lexus all by
itself. Not so. None of the additional steps are difficult and a great deal can be accomplished without
drastically increasing the cost of your project. While I can't find any reliable data on the barrier and
absorption properties of these damping mats, I believe that they are better barriers than they are
absorbers. In most situations the best step after damping unwanted energy transfer with our mat is
adding some sort of absorbing material, both on top of the deadening material and in places that
adding weight will not help. Acoustic foam is the usual way go. The object is to absorb those
unwanted sounds that are not blocked or damped by the previous step and to reduce sound reflection
inside the vehicle, resulting in a more inert environment. We will deal with these topics more in the
How To section, just keep in mind that your sound deadened efforts will be greatly enhanced with this
multi-stage approach.
OK, so that's the theory, but will you really be able to hear a difference in real world application? Oh
my, yes. I took an unreasonably enthusiastic approach to this which provided a more dramatic
demonstration of the change than I would have seen with a more practical approach.
Instead of doing this in phases - which I would very much recommend - I decided to do it all at once.
Step one: completely gut the car. Everything out of the car and in to the house. I effectively made it
unusable until it was done.
So there I was, several long days of hard work done and the car back together. I was almost afraid to
go for a drive. If I had done all of this and there was no improvement, I would truly be the stupidest
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man on earth. Actually, now that I think about it, just taking that risk pretty much makes me the
stupidest man on earth - but that first drive was rewarding beyond anything I would have thought
possible.
I drove around for hours on all sorts of roads at all speeds, no stereo on, nothing, just listening. I
could still hear the engine, I could still hear some tire and wind noise, but at a fraction of the level it
had been before. Traffic noise all but disappeared. Absolutely amazing. The previously tinny
sounding doors closed with an authoritative thump.
Then I turned on the factory sound system. Again, amazing. Suddenly I could hear things in the music
that I never even knew were there. I found myself looking over my shoulder because my brain
couldn't process the fact that what I was hearing was coming from inside the car. The bass response
was astonishing. The mid range and high frequency were clear and defined. With sound deadening,
my factory sound system sounded better than some multi-thousand dollar systems I had heard in
other people's cars. Gulp.
I could suddenly hear the other party on my cell phone without straining and could be heard when I
spoke in a normal voice. I could play the stereo at the threshold of pain and people outside the car
could barely hear it.
You would be right to wonder if this wasn't just a case of wishful thinking and self deception. If it was,
it was contagious. My girlfriend came home from a business trip to find my brand new car's interior in
the living room. She could not begin to understand why I would do such a thing. She accused me of
loving my car more tha n I loved her and got no comfort from my assurances that I loved her and the
car equally. This poor exasperated woman asked me if I could put some of this stuff in her car after
just one ride. I promise you, there was no one in the world less inclined to acknowledge any benefit
from this project.
Should You Do This?
I did a pretty extensive installation in my own car, a brand new Honda Civic EX - not to the extremes
that a serious competitor might go, but a pretty thorough job for a daily driver that needed to look and
function like a normal car. I did it before I even touched the stock audio components so I had a good
test case for before and after comparison.
With this experience under my belt, I feel qualified to answer the question at hand with a strong
probably. In my case, after the fact, the answer is definitely. I would and will do it again. Anybody
upgrading their audio system will be wasting their time and money if they don't do it. Anybody who
really enjoys a quiet ride should also give it serious consideration.
That said, this might not be for everyone. The materials can be had for anywhere between a few
dollars to a few thousand dollars, depending on the choices you make, but the process is very labor
intensive. If you do it yourself, expect it to take longer and be more difficult than you can imagine. If
you pay someone else to do it, be prepared to pay for work that will take longer and be more difficult
than you can imagine. The difficulty isn't the rebuilding a transmission kind of difficulty, it really just
takes patience, a willingness to kneel on hard surfaces for too long and placing yourself in awkward
positions. If you choose to go all out, a shop manual will be a great help.
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You'll need to really enjoy this kind of work, really want the end result, or have enough disposable
cash to get it done for you. In my case, the first two requirements fit.
There are only two other possible downsides that I can see. Installation requires that door panels, and
if you go at it like I did, seats, carpeting, headliner, trunkliner and every piece of trim be removed. This
means some wear and tear.
You will also be adding some weight to the car. In my case, just over one hundred pounds. I choose
to look at this as the weight reserved for one super-model. Since it would always have gone unused
anyway, it was available for this purpose.
To my mind, the upside so far outweighed the negatives that it was an easy decision to proceed.
Since I had never seen it done or heard the results, the upside was theoretical and imagined and the
negatives were severely under-estimated, but the end result far exceeded my expectations.
How To
Define your goals. Different vehicles have different strengths and weaknesses. Different people have
different tastes, budgets and interests. Figure out what you want to accomplish and how much time
and money you are willing to commit.
A note on Rattles
Is sound deadening mat the best way to treat rattles? Maybe. A rattle is the result of two solid objects
hitting each other. It is possible that applying one of these products will stop a rattle, either by
immobilizing the two solid objects, or by reducing the vibrations that are causing them to hit each
other in the first place.
A more effective approach is to identify the source of rattles and treat them prior to installing the mat.
Make sure all parts are tightened down. Wrap wires in foam tape at the point where they contact
sheet metal. Rear license plates and spoilers are notorious source of rattles.
The important thing to avoid is sealing a rattle away so that you can't get to it.
What is Most Important to You?
The Loudest System in Town
I don't mean being able to set off car alarms from two blocks away. If that's your goal, tear out the
OEM sound deadening materials and drill some vent holes in your trunk. Mount some nice blue
flashing lights on the roof and call it a day.
No, I'm talking about achieving maximum Sound Pressure Levels inside the vehicle. The concept is
simple, don't let any sound out of the passenger compartment and eliminate everything that that
dissipates or diverts sound waves before the reach your ears or meter. It is probably most important
to reinforce and dampen the sheet metal. While noise free sound isn't your top priority, reflections can
cancel source waves and reduce their strength.
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Damaging your hearing and testing the effects of sound waves on the human nervous and
cardiovascular system takes careful planning and a lot of trial and error.
Luxury Car Comfort
The most striking aural difference between getting into a Toyota Tercel and a Lexus LS (substitute
any economy and luxury car) is the sense of separation from the outside you get when you close the
door of the Lexus. You may be parked next to an active construction site, but when that Lexus door
closes with a solid thump, it is almost as if a switch has been thrown.
You will still hear the loudest noises from outside, but the din will be all but eliminated. The contrast
between outside and inside is palpable and dramatic. Do the same thing in the Tercel and you may
find yourself checking to see if your windows are closed.
Proper treatment will close, possibly even eliminate the gap. When luxury cars are designed and built,
every route that noise can take is addressed. Economy cars demand that cost and weight be given
priority. Every vehicle fits somewhere along this continuum.
When I first bought my Honda Civic EX sedan, I knew it was noisy, but I really didn't care. I loved the
car, it fit my requirements perfectly and a quiet passenger compartment never even entered the
equation.
The first problems I encountered were all noise related, but I didn't know there was anything I could
do about it. To listen to a CD or the radio while driving, I had to turn the volume up to the point of
distortion - I was listening to bad sound combined with the ambient noise. Using my cell phone was a
challenge. I found myself almost shouting to be heard and having to strain to hear.
Most people don't consider the consequences of a noisy environment. We are where we are, it is
what it is and that's that. The fact is, noise has a negative impact on us in a variety of ways. It causes
fatigue and stress, neither of which is pleasant and both of which are potentially dangerous when
driving. Isn't it great that we can do something about it?
All we have to do is stop noise from entering the passenger compartment. Whether the source is our
engine or tires, wind or traffic, we block what we can and absorb what we can't block. Noise either
passes through the shell of the ve hicle or it is transmitted by causing vehicle components to vibrate,
becoming sound waves when they reach the air space around us. Once they get inside, things get
worse as they reflect off the hard surfaces inside.
The primary function of the sound deadening mats tested here, is to stop vibrations from being
transmitted through the sheet metal that makes up most of a vehicle's skin. They add mass, lowering
the frequency of the vibration below the threshold of human hearing, and their viscoelastic adhesive
damps vibrations, ideally to extinction.
They also have some barrier properties - some of the sound that tries to pass through them will be
reflected back. Finally they add a small amount absorption - some of the sound that tries to pass
through them will not be able to make it all the way through.
Vibration damping is the first step in noise control. You will very likely notice a difference if this is the
only step you take. To get the best results, you will need to use additional products in a literally
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layered application. First apply the damping material and then add barriers and absorbers as needed.
Lead foil and mass loaded vinyl are common pure barriers and acoustic foams and natural or
synthetic fibrous products are useful absorbers. You can buy composites that consist of layers of
barrier and foam, ready to apply in one step. Some even have an adhesive with release paper. Peel
and stick.
Ultimate Sound Quality
Pursuing Sound Quality can be an obsession. Selecting the finest system components and installing
them perfectly will never get you to your objective if you don't pay at least as much attention to the
acoustics of the vehicle.
Start with the panels we addressed in the SPL section, add noise reduction and possibly extra
absorbers and you will be well on your way to a great SQ setup. By reducing sound energy loss,
blocking noise from the outside and absorbing distortion inducing reflections inside the vehicle, you
are cleaning up the sound you hear and lowering the noise floor with which the sounds you want to
hear have to compete - any sound system will sound better and use less power.
Basic Application Procedure
The specifics of each area are slightly different, but the basic process is the same. Remove any trim,
seats, carpeting, or whateve r is covering the sheet metal or plastic you want to treat. Vacuum out any
dirt and dust and then wipe the area with denatured alcohol. Acetone will work, but it will remove
paint, so be careful. You now have a dirt and grease free surface ready to take some sound
deadener.
Start with any easy - flat, large area like part of your trunk. Cut off a piece about 8" long - I prefer a
pair of heavy shears, but most people like a utility knife. With a little practice you will be able to work
with pieces a foot or more long.
Peel the release paper off the first inch or so and fold it back. Now you have a piece of mat with an
inch of adhesive exposed and the rest still covered with the release paper. Ready, aim, fire. Line the
piece up and press the exposed adhesive down on the surface. The mat is now positioned where you
want it and if not, you will still be able to get it off. Good spot? OK, start pulling the release paper
down the length of the mat, pressing the exposed adhesive onto the surface as you go. Voila! First
piece down. Do that a few hundred more times and you are done.
You want to use the largest piece you can for each application - but not too big. You will quickly learn
what too big is, because in your impatience and growing confidence, you will finally get to the point
where you exceed your capabilities and the laws of physics. You will lose control and get a bubble or
a fold or something you didn't intend. No problem, take your knife and cut the bubble or fold out,
press it down and all will be well. You want to have perfect contact between the mat and the surface
you are attaching it to. Your utility knife and an X-Acto knife will be your friends.
While you don't need a heat gun or a roller, they may help. If you are using Peel & Seal, or one of the
asphalt mats sold for automotive use, ignore the advice of the seller. If you are wearing anything
heavier than a t-shirt, you must use something to warm the substrate, warm the mat and then warm
the installed mat before you roll it. Be careful not to melt the adhesive or you might be accelerating
the deterioration of the asphalt. At any temperature warming to about 120°F will improve the adhesion
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of an asphalt product. Butyl adhesives are no where near as tricky. If they are flexible enough to
install, they will stick. I got a nice roller at Home Depot for wallpaper - rubber handle, plastic roller, $5.
Really helps for pressing down on flat areas, and it gives you something to do while you figure out
where to go next, so you don't just sit there looking dazed.
As you apply sound deadener, rap on the panel with your knuckles or a small rubber mallet. You will
be able to hear the change in resonance. After you apply a layer, tap some more. This will help you
determine where you need to add layers. Tap, apply, tap apply, until you are satisfied with the result.
Make a commitment
Don't imagine, like I did, that you can do the whole car in a day. Imagine you can do it in 5. If you
think you might need your car during that time or have to do something crazy like going to work or
school, do it in pieces. Trunk one day, doors another, then the rest when your wife is visiting her
mother in Ireland and you can take a few vacation days that you have been hiding - even then, she is
going to come home and find your front seats in the living room, or was that just me?
Next time, I'll be smarter (maybe). If you are lucky enough to be able to take the car out of operation
for a week or three, and do it in a garage, go for it!
Doors
Your doors might be the best place to start - tricky, but probably the most dramatic effect. The
simplest treatment is to apply a 10 or 12 inch square of damping mat behind the speakers in your car
doors. This will reduce the resonances in the door sheet metal and have some effect on reflected
sound waves that interfere with the sound you really want to hear. Several manufacturers sell "Door
kits", and that's all they are, two squares of mat.
The next step up from this most basic installation is a full treatment to the doors containing speakers,
in which you fully cover and seal the inner and outer door sheet metal creating what amounts to a
proper speaker enclosure. Fully cover the inside of the outer skin with mat. Describing the sheet
metal components can get confusing. By inside of the outer skin, I mean the sheet metal you can
touch and see from outside the car - the painted part. By inside surface, I mean the surface facing the
interior of the car - you probably don't want to apply deadener to your exterior.
This is pretty awkward since you have to work through the access holes from the interior side. An
argument could be made that practicing on an easier area first might make sense. You will need to
use fairly small pieces to fit them through the holes, so it can get tedious. Take your time and be
thorough. If you have speakers in your doors, this is the surface that will be hit by the back wave.
When you are satisfied that you have applied enough mat to control vibrations, it is time to consider
adding additional materials. At a minimum, consider adding at least one layer of closed cell foam
directly behind the speaker. This will help absorb the sound waves coming from the back of the
speaker. Better yet, apply the foam to the entire surface with extra layer(s) behind the speaker. You
may want to consider a barrier product here too, but you will get very good results with just the mat
and foam.
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I specifically said closed cell foam for inside the door because it is resistant to water and mold growth.
Ensolite and Neoprene are closed cell foams. Rain flows through your doors, so anything you put in
there should not absorb or be damaged by water.
Now we can move on to inner sheet metal, what you were just reaching through the access holes in
for the last stage. You will get the best result if you seal all of the openings - not the speaker mounting
hole - to seal the door completely. If you do this, you can throw away the plastic moisture barrier you
removed to get inside the door. Be careful to leave enough area uncovered along the edge so that
you can fit the trim panel back on when you are done.
There are wires and mechanisms that pass through this surface, and you want to protect them. Using
split loom or plastic tubing will be fine. Just laying mat over the larger holes will probably not be
sufficient. I like to use aluminum flashing from a roofing supply or hardware store. I just bough a roll,
14 inches wide by 10 feet long for $8.00. It is thin enough to cut with tin snips or heavy shears, but
rigid enough to do the job.
Take a piece of paper larger than the opening and trace the shape you need - making it as much
larger than the opening as you can, an inch all the way around is probably ideal. Use a little bit of
spray adhesive to attach your template to the flashing and cut. Peel off the paper and you are ready
to go. Some people like to use self tapping screws, I prefer to use silicone sealant. Seal it up, tape it
in places and let it set up for an hour or so. Remove the tape and cover it with mat.
Add mat to entire door surface until you have the vibrations under control. Another layer of closed cell
foam is very nice. If you are really confident that you have created a moisture proof barrier, you can
use open celled acoustic foam instead. If you are using a separate barrier, this surface will probably
be a more effective and easier place to put it.
Next, door trim panel. These are usually plastic and can benefit form some mat. You won't need as
much as you did with sheet metal. One layer or less may be enough. My panels had large square
foam blocks that went through a hole in the sheet metal. I knocked them off and peeled off the carpet
padding type fiber mat that was hot glued in place. Layer of mat, layer of closed cell foam, and then I
filled all of the space I could with open cell acoustic foam. Nice.
Well, that door's done. Do it a few more times. All doors done? You can either move on to the next
section, if that is your intent, or, if your car is drivable, take it out for a spin. Listen to what has
happened.
Trunk or hatch
Depending on your system configuration and goals, treating the trunk or hatch area may be more
important than treating the speaker enclosing doors. An amplified sub-woofer can generate a
tremendous amount of sound pressure, flexing sheet metal panels, sending sympathetic resonances
throughout the vehicle and causing anything that isn't padded and firmly attached to rattle like mad.
Every surface is a good candidate for treatment. If you are concerned with noise, pay extra attention
to the wheel wells. These are a major source of trouble, both front and back.
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Floor and Firewall
The vehicle floor consists of a lot of sheet metal. Since it faces the road, it is a problem for road noise.
Since the exhaust system runs underneath, the problem gets worse. The firewa ll is all that separates
you from the engine, tough to get to, but it can make a huge difference.
The floor is probably the most time consuming surface to expose. Most of the interior has to come
out. By being a little creative, you can do it in sections. Maybe front and back, maybe left and right.
Because so much is mounted to the floor, you need to be careful not to build the mounting points up
to the point that you can't reattach what you took off. This isn't as much of a problem as it might
otherwise be, because much of the trim is mounted on the sides, where the structure is most rigid.
Be very careful when removing seats with airbags in them. Yellow loom or wire means airbag! You
must disconnect the negative battery terminal before disconnecting these or any other electrical
connections. Failure to do this will probably result in at least a blown fuse. Many cars will require a trip
to the dealer to reset the airbag warning light. In the worst case, you can be killed by a deployed
airbag.
Roof
There is some debate as to how effective treating the roof is. In any case, it is a large area of sheet
metal that is subject to flexing and resonance. It can also be very loud in the rain. Each vehicle is
different and you will have to decide if it is worth dropping the headliner.
How Many Square Feet?
Now that you have decided what areas you are going to tackle, it is time to figure out how much
material you will need. I think a good minimum for deadening mat is 1.5 times the total square feet
you plan to treat. If you will be doing both sheet metal surfaces and the trim panel for your doors, then
that counts as three times the area of the door. Add it all up, multiply by 1.5 and round up. It's better
to have a little too much than not quite enough. You can also give the leftovers to a friend, or use
them to line that computer case that makes such a racket.
A similar calculation for foam should also get you close to the mark. If you use a barrier, you are not
likely to double it up.
Summary
For maximum results (and with maximum effort and expense) treating the entire vehicle is the way to
go. Floor, firewall, wheel wells, doors, trunk, and roof are all candidates. It is entirely possible to use
several hundred square feet of mat in an application like this.
If you like doing crazy things, you'll love this. Even if you hate doing crazy things, you are going to
love the results.
Asphalt vs. Butyl - Which is Right for You?
Let's face it. Most of you are reading this because you are trying to decide which product to use.
That's what started me down this road. Some features will be more or less important to you
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depending on how extensively you plan to pursue sound deadening - if you are only going to put a
piece behind each speaker, price isn't going to be critical.
This is the second version of Sound Deadener Showdown. I made a lot of mistakes the first time
through. My ultimate recommendations were valid, but many of my assumptions were false - mostly
because I gave too much credence to the manufacturers' claims. In the months since the first version
I have done a lot more testing and have had the benefit of a number of bona fide experts - engineers,
chemists and even a disgruntled employee from a company that makes some of these products.
If a company claimed their product had a high heat tolerance, I believed it. If they claimed that their
mat had a 1 mil pressure sensitive adhesive, why not? If they published ASTM E756 Acoustic Loss
Factor results, who was I to question them?
The best product for you will be the one that balances your requirements for performance and value.
Performance can be judged in two basic ways. We've already determined that vibration damping is
accomplished by adding mass and through the viscoelastic property of the adhesive/damping layer. If
the product stays where you put it, mass is mass and both performance and value can be compared
by looking at pounds per square foot.
The viscoelastic function is harder to quantify. All of these products perform at their best at a
particular temperature - the point where the adhesive/damping layer's viscosity is most efficient. This
is usually close to room temperature.
What about Acoustic Loss Factor testing?
There is a standard testing methodology that would be very helpful to us. The ASTM E756 testing
procedure is defined here. If we could compare test results for all of the products we are interested
in, we would have an objective reference. Unfortunately we can't. The tests are more than a thousand
dollars each, and unless someone wants to kick in for it, it won't be happening here.
Some manufacturers publish test results purported to be ASTM E756 compliant. I don't believe these
published numbers are valid. If you look around for ASTM E756 test results for other product
categories, you will immediately notice that each report is accompanied by a report from the testing
lab describing the exact procedure followed, the name of the testing firm and individual performing
the test, the date and a discussion of the results. This report serves as a certification of the results.
None of the test results published by the companies covered by this review display any
certification at all. If you want to review the numbers for yourself, check the Web sites for Dynamic
Control (Dynamat), B-Quiet and FatMat. I would love to see evidence that the tests are valid, but I will
not be holding my breath. My working theory is that Dynamic Control came up with numbers
somehow - I have heard several possible explanations. B-Quiet and FatMat then took those numbers
and created their own using the "what might be plausible" methodology.
The problem with having suspect test results out in the marketplace is that it eliminates the possibility
that a competitor will sponsor compliant tests. Assuming that the suspect numbers are inflated,
legitimate results would represent a competitive disadvantage, so we all lose. The best we can do is
select products with the best stability over the widest temperature range.
Page 12 of 35
What are these things made of?
This is at the heart of the matter. There are three basic compounds used for the adhesive layer of
these products:
SBR(styrene-butadiene-rubber)/Asphalt
This is the least expensive material to use. It is predominantly asphalt with a latex polymer, the SBR
part, added for stability. Asphalt has one virtue. It is cheap. They make roads out of it. Unfortunately,
it has several negative features that limit its usefulness for our p urposes. It melts at a relatively low
temperature. It becomes brittle at a relatively high temperature. Both states are bad for us. Optimum
viscoelasticity requires that the material not be liquid or solid. Basic mass loading requires that the
material adhere to the surface we want it to. If it melts, it will fall off vertical or inverted surfaces. If it
becomes brittle, it is susceptible to detaching under normal vibrations.
The rubber compound is added to the asphalt to stabilize it. SBR/asphalt melts at a higher
temperature and becomes brittle at a lower temperature than plain or "neat" asphalt. This doesn't
completely solve the problem. SBR is subject to long term deterioration at temperatures that are
possible in a car.
When I started this investigation, one of my primary objectives was to figure out why so many people
seemed to have trouble with their mat falling off. If you search the Web for sound deadener falling off,
you will see lots of cases of asphalt mats failing and no failures that I ha ve been able to find involving
butyl based mats. It just isn't possible that user error would be so neatly divided.
I looked at the specifications for products developed for roofing, which many of the products in this
category began life as, I saw the problem. Roofing materials are designed to withstand temperatures
of 158°F for two weeks without melting. Manufacturers supply butyl products for situations that will
either exceed this temperature or duration. Extend the time and the maximum sustainable
temperature falls. This explains why some people have had success with asphalt mats for a few
years, only to have them fail in a subsequent year. Failure can be disastrous. If you're lucky, the mat
will just fall off. If you're not, it will melt - pools of asphalt in your carpet or upholstery or window
mechanism.
Another problem with asphalt mats is the smell. You should be fine during cool weather, but on a hot
day, they tend to smell like, well asphalt.
Peel & Seal and Jiffy Seal are roofing products that fit in this category. Many people buy them for
sound deadening. Of the products I tested, B-Quiet Extreme, Brown Bread, Dynamat Original, eDead
v1, eDead v1SE and FatMat are in this group. Many people report great success with one or more of
these mats. They are certainly the cheapest option. If you know your car will never be exposed to
extreme heat or cold, they may work for you. I'm not suggesting that all of these products have a
100% failure rate under extreme conditions, but I do believe they are risky. Their narrower
temperature range also means they will be less effective the farther they get from room temperature. I
would not use any of these products in my car.
Page 13 of 35
Butyl with Asphalt filler
I tested two products in this category - B-Quiet Ultimate and RAAMmat BXT. The adhesive layer is
butyl for greater temperature resistance and odor control than the SBR/Asphalt mats. Asphalt is
added to the butyl to add mass because it is inexpensive. This reduces the beneficial aspects of butyl
to some extent, but they are demonstrably superior to the SBR/Asphalt products. They melt at a
substantially higher temperature and stay flexible to a lower temperature.
The asphalt content makes these mats less expensive than the products in the next category. If you
want to save money and still get a product that will be reliable, this is the category to pick. Please
don't confuse products in this category with the asphalt mats described above. If there were only two
categories, these mats would be grouped with the next. They have none of the problems associated
with the SBR/Asphalt mats. The asphalt is suspended in a nearly inert state and only serves to add
mass and control costs.
Butyl with a non-asphalt filler.
Products in this category match a butyl base with a non-asphalt filler to add mass. The mats I tested
have a higher butyl content than the butyl with asphalt mats and are therefore more expensive.
Second Skin Damplifier, Damplifier Pro and Dynamat Xtreme fall into this group. I'm also looking
forward to samples being sent by Cascade that have similar properties.
These are the elite sound deadeners. They have the heaviest aluminum foil constraining layers and
are the most expensive to manufacture. They have heat tolerances significantly higher than any of
the other products I tested, with the Second Skin products having the highest tolerance of all. If your
mat is going to be exposed to extreme conditions or if you are willing to pay more to squeeze that last
bit of performance out of your efforts, these are the mats for you.
I know some of you don't believe me
FatMat is identical to Dynamat Xtreme.
No it isn't. Please stop saying that.
eDead is a butyl based mat.
No it isn't. Please stop saying that.
I did the search above and I found reports of both RAAMmat and Damplifier
failing.
That is correct. Several years ago, RAAMmat and Damplifier were asphalt based mats. Both
companies chose to upgrade their products - RAAMmat to a value oriented Butyl with asphalt
composite and Second Skin to an ultra premium high butyl content mat. Both companies have gone
to great lengths to replace the asphalt mats that failed.
Consider this. Price competition is fierce in this product category. Butyl content is more expensive
than asphalt, squeezing the margins for both companies. Why would they do this other than to
Page 14 of 35
provide a better product? If asphalt mats were "good enough" why would they have bothered
upgrading their products at all?
I heard that eDead and FatMat were really Peel & Seal.
I've heard that too. I have seen samples of Peel & Seal that are indistinguishable from the products
you mentioned.
Why would those companies sell roofing products for automotive use?
I never said they did. I just said I heard that.
Product Specs
This is a summary of the basic characteristics of the sound deadening products I looked at.
I am willing to expand this report to other mat type products if anyone would like to provide samples.
Please contact me if you have products you would like me to test.
Page 15 of 35
B-Quiet Extreme
Mass Layer Rubberized Asphalt
StereoTypes
Regina, SK Canada
Web site
Form Roll
Surface waffled aluminum
Published Lbs ft 2 0.30
Measured Lbs ft 2 (with release paper) 0.32
Net Measured Lbs ft 2 (w/o release paper) 0.30
Published Thickness (mils) 45
Published Foil Thickness (mils)
B-Quiet Ultimate
Mass Layer Butyl
StereoTypes
Regina, SK Canada
Web site
Form Roll
Surface matte aluminum
Page 16 of 35
Brown Bread
Mass Layer Rubberized Asphalt ?
StereoTypes
Regina, SK Canada
Web site
Form Roll
Surface glossy aluminum
Published Thickness (mils)
Damplifier
Mass Layer Butyl
Second Skin Audio
Queen Creek, AZ
Web site
Form Sheet
Published Foil Thickness (mils) 3
Page 17 of 35
Damplifier Pro
Mass Layer Butyl
Second Skin Audio
Queen Creek, AZ
Web site
Form Sheet
Dynamat Original
Dynamic Control of North America, Incorporated
Hamilton, OH
Web site
Form Sheet
Surface matte black with blue logo
Page 18 of 35
Dynamat Xtreme
Mass Layer Butyl
Hamilton, OH
Web site
Form Sheet
Surface glossy aluminum with black logo
eDead v1
Elemental Designs L.C.
North Liberty, IA
Web site
Form Roll
Page 19 of 35
eDead v1SE
North Liberty, IA
Web site
Form Roll
FatMat
Fatmat Sound Control
North East, PA
Web site
Form Roll
Page 20 of 35
RAAMmat BXT60
Mass Layer Butyl
RAAMaudio
St Helens, OR
Web site
Form Roll
VB2
Mass Layer mineral filled vinyl copolymer
Cascade Audio Engineering
Bend, OR
Web site
Form Sheet
Surface matte black
Page 21 of 35
Temperature Tests
Heat
Why bake sound deadening mats in the oven? It can get incredibly hot inside a car. Take a black car,
leave it outside in the sun during a hot summer day and it can easily reach temperatures that exceed
the rating for roofing materials. Since one of my reasons for undertaking this project was to try and
unravel the asphalt mat failure problem, testing heat resistance is a critical step.
Getting to the bottom of this problem was tough. Some of the sellers of asphalt mats consistently site
user error as the source of all problems. This just doesn't make sense. Failed installations plague
both the most meticulous and the most careless installers. Thorough cleaning of the mounting
surface, using a heat gun and a complete and vigorous going over with a roller don't seem to make a
difference.
There are two classic failure scenarios. In the worst case, the asphalt adhesive liquefies. This seems
pretty straightforward. Too much heat. The second category is more complicated. The mat falls off a
vertical or inverted surface leaving a transparent brown residue behind. Attempts to remount the mat
fail. It isn't sticky anymore.
Some of the most trouble prone products are sold on Web sites describing the special characteristics
of the Pressure Sensitive Adhesive used to secure the mat in place. One details a "rubberized
compound that is fused with a 1 mil Acrylic PSA". In the face of this and similar descriptions it would
be reasonable to believe that such a thing existed. It occurred to me that the PSA might be failing for
some reason, separating from the asphalt layer causing the mat to fall off, accounting for the brown
residue and the mat no longer being stick. Sounds good right? Unfortunately, there is no distinct PSA
on these deadeners. The asphalt/SBR compound is the adhesive. Back to the drawing board.
Long story short, I am convinced that heat is the culprit in these failures as well. The SBR compound
deteriorates over time. The volatile compounds that keep the asphalt flexible and sticky escape and
there you go. If any one has a better explanation, please let me know.
In any event. We know cars get hot. Testing the heat resistance of these things seems like a good
idea. In version 1 of Sound Deadener Showdown. I mounted the mats and heated them fairly rapidly increasing the temperature ten degrees or so every fifteen minutes. Most of the mats failed, but at
temperatures much higher than I would expect them to ever encounter in a car.
Then it dawned on me. Cars are exposed to temperature extremes for hours at a time. This is what I
am trying to simulate with this new test sequence.
Page 22 of 35
Methodology
I tried to design a test to severely stress the mats I collected for this review. I don't have any
specialized laboratory equipment, just a kitchen oven and a collection of tools. Here's what I did.
I built a test rig from galvanized steel sheet metal consisting of a base and a back plane to which I
would attach the products. The back plane leans forward from vertical approximately 30° to partially
simulate the effect of inverted installation.
I cut two 1 inch by 6 inch strips from each of my samples. Before attaching the sample strips to the
back plane, I cleaned it with acetone and then denatured alcohol. Finally, I wiped it down with a clean
microfiber towel to make sure there was no dust or link on the surface.
To simulate a less than perfect install, and to increase the effect of gravity, I put two thoroughly
cleaned 1/4 inch steel washers between the galvanized steel and the mat, top and bottom of the strip,
about 1/4 inch in from the ends. You can see the bulge under several samples.
I used a roller vigorously on each strip. I wiped the back of the mounted strip and then mounted the
second identical sample on top of the first, this time with the washer in the center of the mat. When all
were installed, I wrapped the base in aluminum foil - to make it easier to clean up, then covered the
entire oven rack with foil to prevent dripping on to the oven floor - to prevent the girlfriend wrath that a
baked in mess would likely bring. I placed four 5 pound cast iron disks on the bottom rack of the oven
to help stabilize the temperature. I used four thermometers to monitor the temperature, never less
than two at a time
Once prepared, I put the test rig and a thermometers on the rack and took the first photograph. I
repeated this process several times to verify my results.
Page 23 of 35
I want to emphasize that I am not even pretending that these temperatures are accurate. I believe
they are within 5°F or so, but will not stand behind any sort of exact failure point. The important thing
to be learned from this test are the relative failure points, or in the case of the Second Skin mats the
complete lack of failure.
I have marked the first image where failure is obvious a red background.
This test is not meant to provide any sort of definiti ve ranking of products. It only provides one point of
comparison, one little piece of information that will help us evaluate an important property of our test
subjects.
The Results - listed from first failure to last - by name if tied
Product
Name
Product
of
Brown
Bread
StereoTy
pes
Regina,
SK
Canada
Web site
B-Quiet
Extreme
StereoTy
pes
Regina,
SK
Canada
Web site
Dynamat
Original
Dynamic
Control
of North
America,
Incorpora
ted
Hamilton,
OH
Web site
00:00
140°
F
02:00
160°
F
03:00
160°
F
04:00
180°
F
05:00
180°
F
06:00
180°
F
00:00
180°
F
Page 24 of 35
02:00
180°
F
03:00
200°
F
04:00
240°
F
06:00
260°
F
07:00
260°
F
00:00
500°
F
00:15
500°
F
00:30
500°
F
eDead
v1SE
Elementa
l Designs
L.C.
North
Liberty,
IA
Web site
FatMat
Fatmat
Sound
Control
North
East, PA
Web site
eDead v1
Elementa
l Designs
L.C.
North
Liberty,
IA
Web site
B-Quiet
Ultimate
StereoTy
pes
Regina,
SK
Canada
Web site
RAAMmat RAAMau
BXT60
dio
St
Helens,
OR
Web site
Page 25 of 35
Dynamat
Xtreme
Dynamic
Control
of North
America,
Incorpora
ted
Hamilton,
OH
Web site
Damplifier Second
Skin
Audio
Queen
Creek,
AZ
Web site
Damplifier Second
Pro
Skin
Audio
Queen
Creek,
AZ
Web site
Cold
I wanted to see what would happen when the products freeze. I also took this opportunity to compare
the effects of using a heat gun on the samples during installation.
I took a sheet of galvanized sheet metal and cleaned it the usual way - acetone, denatured alcohol
and a final micro-fiber wipe down. I cut two 1"x3" pieces from each product. I mounted the first set of
samples using a heat gun and roller. After the assembly cooled to room temperature, I mounted the
second set of samples, unheated but rolled, each immediately below its previously installed twin.
I sealed the entire thing in two plastic bags and placed it in the freezer. I left it there for 24 hours,
removed it and dropped the test assembly, perpendicular to the floor, on to a carpeted floor from four
feet. I repeated this process three times - freeze for 24 hours, drop, back into the freezer.
After the third cycle, I unwrapped the test panel and mounted it vertically in a clamp to allow it to
gradually warm to room temperature. I should mention that the unheated Brown Bread sample was
completely detached.
After 4 hours, I lightly flicked the edge of each sample with a fingernail - not to pull it away, more just
to see if it was still bonded to the sheet metal. All of the mats except for the eDeads and Brown Bread
remained in place. The heated Brown Bread sample was fine, the unheated sample fell off. The
unheated eDead v1 sample was partially detached. Both the heated and unheated eDead v1SE
samples were partially detached.
Page 26 of 35
In each case, the samples applied with the heat gun seemed to have a stronger bond than those
applied at room temperature. I have to wonder if using a heat gun to install asphalt mat might actually
hasten its deterioration? It only takes a few seconds with the gun to melt the asphalt adhesive. This
would explain why so many of the reports of failure come from people who really put in some effort clean the surface, heat the mat and roll it down. The process of installation may be sowing the seeds
for future failure.
In each case, the heat gun mounted sample is above the room temperature mounted sample.
The Results - listed alphabetically, by name.
Product Name
Product of
B-Quiet Extreme
StereoTypes
Regina, SK Canada
Web site
B-Quiet Ultimate
StereoTypes
Regina, SK Canada
Web site
Brown Bread
StereoTypes
Regina, SK Canada
Web site
Damplifier
Second Skin Audio
Queen Creek, AZ
Web site
Image
Page 27 of 35
Damplifier Pro
Second Skin Audio
Queen Creek, AZ
Web site
Dynamat Original Dynamic Control of North America, Incorporated
Hamilton, OH
Web site
Dynamat Xtreme
Hamilton, OH
Web site
eDead v1
North Liberty, IA
Web site
eDead v1SE
North Liberty, IA
Web site
FatMat
North East, PA
Web site
Page 28 of 35
RAAMmat BXT60 RAAMaudio
St Helens, OR
Web site
VB2
Bend, OR
Web site
Observations
SecondSkin Damplifier and SecondSkin Damplifier Pro both survived this test like champs. Dynamic
Control's Dynamat Xtreme also demonstrated heat resistance well beyond the second group of
products.
RAAMmat BXT™ and B-Quiet Ultmate came out in the middle of the pack. Higher temperature
resistance than the asphalt products, and less tolerant than the SecondSkin and Dynamat Xtreme
samples. Of interest is the manner of failure. Unlike the asphalt deadeners, these mats did not liquefy
at any temperature. They softened significantly at high temperatures, but when they broke away from
the mounting surface, the adhesive was still coherent, sticking in roughly equal parts to the substrate
and their own aluminum foil layer. This is the same way the Dynamat Xtreme ultimately failed - albeit
at a significantly higher temperature.
All of the asphalt mats failed at almost the same point. Both eDead mats, FatMat, Brown Bread and
B-Quiet Extreme all melted. The asphalt ran out into a black puddle of goo and the foil fell down.
None of them could survive several hours at 160ºF. The Dynamat Original failed differently than the
aluminum foil skinned mats. It actually does have a PSA layer that held it in place longer than the
others. It never melted, but instead cooked into a brown crumbly thing, but really, who cares?
Dynamat Original may have been the bees knees back when people used that phrase, but its day is
past. It is expensive and by Dynamic Controls own highly suspect performance testing, doesn't
perform worth a damn.
The Cascade VB2 is a completely different composition than the other mats. It held up very well, but I
only included it in this showdown out of curiosity. Cascade has contacted me and will be sending
samples of their butyl damping mat for future testing.
Room Temperature Adhesion Test
Page 29 of 35
The Problem
For a sound deadening product to be effective, it has to maintain firm contact with the surface to
which it is applied. The Temperature Test demonstrated how well our test subjects performed when
subjected to escalating temperature. I wanted to see what could be learned about these products by
testing the strength of their adhesive at 78°F.
Methodology
I took a large steel shelf bracket painted with a very durable
and smooth white baked enamel and mounted it securely in a bench vise. Before each test, I cleaned
the surface with acetone, then denatured alcohol and finally wiped the surface with a clean microfiber
towel.
I cut a 1 inch by 6 inch strip of each product. I then cut a 1 inch by 7 inch strip of aluminum sheet
metal and cleaned each one thoroughly. I drilled a quarter inch hole at the end of each strip.
I mounted each strip onto a piece of the prepared aluminum, offset by 1 inch from the end without the
hole, so that there was a 1 inch square area of mat exposed at the end of each test strip.
I applied the exposed mat to the underside of the steel bracket and used the roller to be sure of firm
contact. To perform each test, I hung a 2.5 pound barbell plate from a cord with a hook on the end
from the hole in the test strip. I used a stopwatch to measure the time it took for the 1 inch square
section of mat to be pulled away from the mounting surface. I then repeated the test and instead of
hanging the weight immediately, I let the mounted sample sit for one hour first.
Page 30 of 35
The Results - listed from longest to shortest time.
Product Name
Product of
Seconds Seconds after 1 hr.
eDead v1
North Liberty, IA
Web site
77.51
713.72
eDead v1SE
North Liberty, IA
Web site
325.34
641.89
B-Quiet Extreme
StereoTypes
Regina, SK Canada
Web site
82.16
592.50
RAAMmat BXT60 RAAMaudio
St Helens, OR
Web site
93.62
173.17
B-Quiet Ultimate
StereoTypes
Regina, SK Canada
Web site
87.43
156.39
Brown Bread
StereoTypes
Regina, SK Canada
Web site
94.23
137.98
Damplifier Pro
Second Skin Audio
Queen Creek, AZ
Web site
5.37
64.47
FatMat
North East, PA
Web site
41.67
62.74
Damplifier
Second Skin Audio
Queen Creek, AZ
Web site
4.41
62.53
Dynamat Xtreme
Hamilton, OH
Web site
75.83
50.68
Dynamat Original Dynamic Control of North America, Incorporated
Hamilton, OH
Web site
12.37
VB2
38.16
Bend, OR
Web site
Observations
While there where a wide range of times posted by the products, this test is likely the least indicative
of actual performance and the one I see most often misinterpreted. It only demonstrates the adhesive
capabilities, at room temperature, on a perfect surface, immediately after installation and one hour
later.
Page 31 of 35
Under these conditions, each of these products had significantly more adhesive strength than it will
ever need in actual use. It is interesting that the products with the highest failure rates have the
highest initial bond strength.
The behavior of the Second Skin products is notable. They had very short initial adhesion that
increased dramatically over the course of the first hour. At first glance, this may seem odd or even
cause for concern. It is in fact a very nice feature that it turns out is a property of high quality butyl.
During installation, if you misplace a piece of mat, it is easy to pull it up, reposition it and have it bond
in its new location as well as it would have when you first laid it down. Very handy.
From this test, we can see that asphalt mats have sufficient adhesive strength to stay in place when
first installed. I think we can safely concluded that their failure is a function of deterioration over time
or exposure to temperatures than they were intended to withstand.
Price Comparison
Many of the products I have been testing are available only online. That being the case, shipping
costs are an important part of the cost equation. I created orders as close to 100 square feet as
possible and got prices to ship to Baltimore, Dallas, LA and Chicago.
The function of sound deadening mat is to immobilize a resonant, flexible surface by applying weight
to it, making it less resonant and flexible. Value needs to be considered in two ways. We are trying to
cover an area with sound deadener, so cost per square foot is a useful metric. Since we are trying to
add mass to an area, cost per pound is another consideration. A thin mat may be cheaper per ft2 , but
if you need more layers than a thicker, heavier product, the second may actually be less expensive.
Conversely, there may be applications where the thicker, heavier mat may be more than is needed in
a single layer - wasting product.
Several of these products are sometimes available through channels other than those listed. Some
are sold on eBay, some sponsor group buys and some run promotions from time to time. I'm not sure
that I will ever be able to accurately reflect that sort of pricing, but be aware that there may be other
pricing options available.
Listing the price breakdown for each city results in a very number dense table. To create a clearer
presentation, I have created two tables with the shipped prices averaged, first sorted by price per
square foot, then by price per pound. The detailed, unordered presentation follows.
The Results with Shipping Averaged - Sorted by Price per Pound
Product Name
lbs ft2 Note Source
Price
ft2 Averaged Shipping per ft2 per lb.
eDead v1SE
0.39
eDesignAudio
150.00 100
21.00
1.71
4.38
eDead v1
0.27
eDesignAudio
100.00 100
21.00
1.21
4.48
FatMat
0.26
FatMat
99.95 100
29.99
1.30
5.00
B-Quiet Extreme
0.30
B-Quiet
139.98 100
9.99
1.50
5.00
Dynamat Original
0.70
CarDomain
389.85 117
51.45
3.77
5.39
Page 32 of 35
RAAMmat BXT60
0.38
RAAMaudio
218.00 125
28.91
1.98
5.20
Damplifier
0.44
SecondSkinAudio 201.60 100
38.48
2.40
5.46
Damplifier Pro
0.49
43.15
3.29
6.72
B-Quiet Ultimate
0.35
B-Quiet
239.98 100
9.99
2.50
7.14
Dynamat Xtreme
0.50
eBay
283.71 108
86.85
3.43
6.86
Brown Bread
0.34
Brown Bread USA 189.99
70
14.99
2.93
8.61
Dynamat Xtreme
0.50
CarDomain
479.85 108
38.95
4.80
9.61
The Results with Shipping Averaged - Sorted by Price per Square Foot
Product Name
lbs ft2 Note Source
Price
eDead v1
0.27
eDesignAudio
FatMat
0.26
B-Quiet Extreme
ft2 Averaged Shipping per ft2 per lb.
100.00 100
21.00
1.21
4.48
FatMat
99.95 100
29.99
1.30
5.00
0.30
B-Quiet
139.98 100
9.99
1.50
5.00
eDead v1SE
0.39
eDesignAudio
150.00 100
21.00
1.71
4.38
RAAMmat BXT60
0.38
RAAMaudio
218.00 125
28.91
1.98
5.20
Damplifier
0.44
38.48
2.40
5.46
B-Quiet Ultimate
0.35
B-Quiet
9.99
2.50
7.14
Brown Bread
0.34
Brown Bread USA 189.99
70
14.99
2.93
8.61
Damplifier Pro
0.49
43.15
3.29
6.72
Dynamat Xtreme
0.50
eBay
283.71 108
86.85
3.43
6.86
Dynamat Original
0.70
CarDomain
389.85 117
51.45
3.77
5.39
Dynamat Xtreme
0.50
CarDomain
479.85 108
38.95
4.80
9.61
239.98 100
The Results with Shipping Broken Out
Shippi
ng to
Baltim ft 2 to
ore, Balt.
MD , MD
lb.
to
Balt.
, MD
Shippi
ng to
Dallas,
TX
ft 2 to
Dal.,
TX
lb. to
Dal.,
TX
Shipp
ing to
Los
Angel ft 2 to
es,
LA,
CA
CA
lb.
to
LA,
CA
Shippi
ng to
Chicag
o, IL
ft 2 to
Chi.,
IL
lb.
to
Chi.,
IL
Product
Name
lbs
ft 2
Source
Price
ft 2
B-Quiet
Extreme
0.30
B-Quiet
139.98
100
9.99
1.50
5.00
9.99
1.50
5.00
9.99
1.50
5.00
9.99
1.50
5.00
B-Quiet
Ultimate
0.35
B-Quiet
239.98
100
9.99
2.50
7.14
9.99
2.50
7.14
9.99
2.50
7.14
9.99
2.50
7.14
Brown
Bread
0.34
Brown
Bread USA
189.99
70
14.99
2.93
8.61
14.99
2.93
8.61
14.99
2.93
8.61
14.99
2.93
8.61
Damplifier
0.44
SecondSkin
Audio
201.60
100
51.50
2.53
5.75
31.00
2.33
5.29
26.84
2.28
5.19
44.56
2.46
5.59
Page 33 of 35
Damplifier
Pro
0.49
SecondSkin
Audio
286.00
100
57.92
3.44
7.02
35.01
3.21
6.55
29.82
3.16
6.45
49.85
3.36
6.85
Dynamat
Original
0.70
CarDomain
389.85
117
54.95
3.80
5.43
51.95
3.78
5.39
46.95
3.73
5.33
51.95
3.78
5.39
Dynamat
Xtreme
0.50
CarDomain
479.85
108
44.95
4.86
9.72
39.95
4.81
9.63
30.95
4.73
9.46
39.95
4.81
9.63
Dynamat
Xtreme
0.50
eBay
283.71
108
86.85
3.43
6.86
86.85
3.43
6.86
86.85
3.43
6.86
86.85
3.43
6.86
eDead v1
0.27
eDesignAud
io
100.00
100
19.97
1.20
4.44
19.97
1.20
4.44
27.39
1.27
4.72
16.69
1.17
4.32
eDead
v1SE
0.39
eDesignAud
io
150.00
100
19.97
1.70
4.36
19.97
1.70
4.36
27.39
1.77
4.55
16.69
1.67
4.27
FatMat
0.26
FatMat
99.95
100
29.99
1.30
5.00
29.99
1.30
5.00
29.99
1.30
5.00
29.99
1.30
5.00
RAAMmat
BXT60
0.38
RAAMaudio
218.00
125
35.52
2.03
5.34
30.17
1.99
5.22
19.79
1.90
5.01
30.17
1.99
5.22
Conclusions
As I have stated repeatedly, this isn't a rigorously scientific review. I got a bunch of samples and did
what I could to evaluate them. While this approach is obvious lacking in a lot of ways, I think I learned
some essential truths that should help in your evaluation. Additionally, since I posted the first version
of this project, I have been contacted by some legitimate experts in this field, several of whom
contributed important context and guidance.
Ideally, I would have loved to actually measure the effectiveness of the samples I had. How well do
they dampen?. How effective are they as a barrier? These would be great things to know.
I think I have gotten to the bottom of the product failure problem. In the asphalt versus butyl debate, I
am convinced that butyl based products are better in e very aspect. So what do I recommend?
I would have no qualms about using SecondSkin Damplifier or Damplifier Pro, Dynamat Xtreme,
RAAMmat BXT or B-Quiet Ultimate. That said, two product lines stand out - one of these will meet
your requirements.
Highest Quality
Second Skin's products live up to their "Over Engineered to Over Perform" motto. They are clearly a
higher quality alternative to Dynamat Xtreme - designed for greater heat tolerance, with higher quality
materials.
If quality is your most important requirement, Second Skin Damplifier or Damplifier Pro are the
obvious choices. Dynamat Xtreme is close, but being more expensive and not as good isn't a winning
combination. I congradulate Second Skin Audio for their obvious dedication to providing the best
product possible.
Best Value
RAAMaudio's RAAMmat BXT is a high quality product priced to compete with asphalt mats. If you are
considering an asphalt sound deadener based on price, please reconsider.
Page 34 of 35
Remember, you are not just buying square feet, you are buying mass. Most of the asphalt mats are
thinner and the lighter than the butyl products. This means you will need more layers to accomplish
the same result. The only close comparison is eDead v1SE vs. RAAMmat. They are close in weight
and thickness, despite the fact that Elemental Designs significantly overstates the density of their
products.
If I were to repeat my own installation - 300 square feet of damping mat - here's how it would price out
for RAAMmat BXT and eDead v1SE, shipped:
RAAMmat BXT $594.00
eDead v1SE
$513.00
There is only $81.00 between the two. If you use less, the difference will be smaller. This is not even
close. Buy the RAAMmat BXT.
If you only needed 100 square feet:
RAAMmat BXT $198.00
eDead v1SE
$171.00
That's just $27 dollars.
If you really need to do this in the absolutely least expensive way and are not convinced or concerned
by the demonstrated inferiority of asphalt based sound deadeners, go to Home Depot or Lowes and
get a roll or two of Peel & Seal. This is the least expensive option and you won't have to worry about
shipping costs. I can see no difference in Peel & Seal and the asphalt based aluminum skinned
products in this review. If you are going to live dangerously, do it right.
I hope this helps.
Sound Deadener Showdown Tip Jar
I'm really gratified by the responses I've gotten from those of you who have found this project helpful.
It has certainly grown into something far beyond my expectations. I'm testing several new products
and will have the results posted as soon as I can.
Several people have asked to contribute something to help offset the costs involved (and I suspect to
encourage faster paced updates :) If you wo uld like to toss in a few pennies or a few bucks, here's a
way to do it. Click on the PayPal Donate icon and you can use your PayPal account, a credit card or
even your bank account to drop something in the Sound Deadener Showdown wishing well.
Thanks very much.
Page 35 of 35

Sound Deadener Showdown

Transcription

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