Audimute Absorption Sheets Review

According to Audimute, their Absorption Sheets, also known as Audimute Blankets, are a dedicated sound deadening, room deadening, sound quality improving product.

Audimute Sheets are flexible, portable and easy to set up, and pleasant looking when hung on walls or ceilings. But do they really do the job for a rock band who is rehearsing in their garages? Do they work for singers who want to setup a vocal booth inside their rooms? Do they work for recording artists who would like to create a recording studio on a limited budget, perhaps even inside a rented apartment?

According to the company, Audimute Sheets are effective for general sound absorption and noise reduction in mid to high frequency ranges.

Let’s investigate whether Audimute absorption sheets really live up to their claims  and reputation for sound treatment of rooms. We’ll look at it from the perspective of noise reduction, sound improvement, and convenience. But let’s start at the beginning.

Brief History

Audimute has been in the business since the early 2000s. The company was founded by Mitch Zlotnik who was a drummer in a band. He was frustrated with the limited homemade soundproofing concoctions. These included ugly egg crates, wall carpets, or moving blankets to reduce the unwanted noise. He wanted simple, effective sound absorption solution that was portable and affordable to musicians with garage bands, music studios, drummers, vocalists.

In 2003, out of necessity, and after a lot of experimenting, Mitch came up with the original Audimute Sound Absorbing Blankets and the rest is history.

The Many Uses Of Audimute Absorption Sheets

Now called Audimute Absorption Sheets, these sound absorbing blankets have been, according to the company, put to use in the following applications:

• absorption of typical office noise and conversation
• enhancement of the acoustics of a vocal booth, musical room, or a home music recording studio
• deadening of sounds in the garage and other rehearsal spaces
• home theater echo reduction and general sound improvement

Why Are Audimute Absorption Sheets So Popular?

Considering that Audimute Blankets are not all that different from Moving Blankets, and were historically derived from moving blankets, what makes them so popular? Why would people choose them over cheaper moving blankets?

We see 5 reasons why choose Absorption Sheets, and why the price difference might be justified.

• Noise reduction coefficient is 0.65, higher than any, even the thickest moving blanket.
• Consistent production process, and acoustic quality control.
• Eco-friendly ingredients.
• Aesthetic look suitable for room interiors, and a decent choice of colors.
• Ease of use, standardized dimensions, and portability, no need to glue them into place.

Each of these factors may be small but together, they might make a significant difference. Let’s look at these individual qualities in more detail.

Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC) of Acoustic Sheets

Noise Reduction Coefficient is a single-digit representation of the sound absorption. NRC of 0.0 means that none of the noise is absorbed and NRC of 1.0 represents 100% absorption of the noise.

Audimute Absorption Sheets NRC has been measured in an acoustic lab and is stated to be 0.65 which means that, within the range of the human hearing, 65% of the sound that impinges on the absorption sheet, will be absorbed. That also means that some of the remaining 35% of the sound will reflect back into the room, and a fraction of the 35% of the sound will be penetrate through the absorption sheet.

The sound lab report details that at higher frequencies (above 600 Hertz) the absorption will actually be better than 65% and at lower frequencies (below 600 Hertz) the sound absorption will be less than 65%.

As the company itself emphasizes, Audimute Blankets are not sound blocking product, but a sound absorption product. So you can expect a noticeable improvement in the sound quality of the room due to reduced sound echoes and reduced reverberation. You should expect that some of the sound will still leak out of the room and become noise to the neighbors.

To increase absorption of lower frequencies, such as the sound of the bass guitar, drums, you may want to supplement acoustic blankets with other products such as bass traps.

Fire Rating

Fire Rating: Audimute Absorption Sheets are made of the materials that are not Class-A fire rated. If you would like to increase the fire safety of the sheets, you can spray them with readily available fire retardant sprays such as FireBlock and No-Burn. The application of these will generally not affect the looks or the acoustic and sound absorption properties of the absorption sheets.

Audimute Soundproofing Materials Are Natural

Audimute takes pride in the fact that their soundproofing blankets are made of eco-friendly materials such as recycled cotton, wool and polyester blends. The recycling reduces landfill waste.

Being natural, Audimute soundproofing materials are superior to industrial soundproofing blankets that typically contain fiberglass. Fiberglass is notorious for causing skin, eye, nose, throat and lung irritations. Fiberglass causes coughing when swallowed. It appears on the list of likely carcinogen substances at the National Institutes of Health. People have called fiberglass “the next asbestos!” There is no fiberglass in Audimute Absorption Sheets.

Convenience Of Install and Removal

No other sound absorption product beats the convenience and speed of installing/hanging as well as removing the Absorption Sheets from the walls.

After a recent update of the Audimute Absorption Sheet product line, all Audimute Sheets have three convenient grommets (eyes) on the shorter (4.5′), top and bottom side of the sheet for quick and easy hanging and removing. You can even attach the Audimute Sheets to the ceiling using the grommets.

Audimute Blankets Improved Colors And Looks

The newest product line of Audimute Blankets features a much nicer aesthetics overall. The look of these blankets compares favorably with anything else on the market. The colors you can choose from are steel (one side gray other side black) and bone (one side light brown other side dark brown).

Standardized Dimensions

Audimute Sheets have been standardized to the size of 4.5′ x 8′ or 54″ x 95″. Thickness is 0.5″. Each sheet weighs about 9 lbs. You will find three grommets equally spaced along the 4.5′ sides.

Features Of Audimute Absorption Sheets

Most important features are:

• Noise Reduction Coefficient of 0.65
• Best absorption of frequencies above 400 Hz
• Standardized size of 4.5′ x 8′ x 0.5″ and weight of 9 lbs
• Pleasant looks
• Eco-friendly materials with no health warnings
• Choice of silver/black and light/dark brown color combinations
• 3 Grommets with standardized distances on short sides
• Convenient and highly portable

Pros

• Excellent sound absorption above 600 Hz
• Portable and easy to work with, great for rented spaces such as apartments
• Best looking among sound blankets
• Twice the sound absorption of cheap sound blankets
• Convenient and standard grommets positions
• Eco-friendly (because made of the materials that would otherwise end up in landfills)

Cons

• Subpar sound absorption below 600 Hz
• Less aesthetic looks compared to solid sound panels
• Need extra treatment to become fire retardant

Useful Accessories

The two of the convenient if not essential accessories are MegaClip, a wall hanging clip and Knob & Screw for easy wall mounting.

Buyer Ratings

Here are the excerpts from buyer reviews after they installed Audimute Absorption Sheets:

“…You can pick out every instrument…”
“…they also improved the sound quality inside the rehearsal room…”
“…band is very happy with the results…”
“…drum sound was deep, full, wet, and you could hear every little sound articulation…”
“…When my sun conure (a loud bird) starts screaming, all I need to do is turn the cage around to create a confined space surrounded by the Audimute material, and I instantly got all the noise control I could wish for!”

Source: Manufacturer’s Site. As you can see from the above diverse buyer reports, Audimute Sheets can significantly improve the sound in the music recording studio, rehearsal room, or a garage. You can use them in living rooms where good looks matter. This is not something we could say for moving blankets.

Price

Thanks to Audimute Sheets achieving double or triple sound absorption compared with cheaper sound absorbing blankets, Audimute Absorption Sheets/Sound Blankets are a solid value for the money. They are completely portable, easy to work with, and they look good. They are much cheaper and equally effective as the foam solutions and solid sound panel solutions.

Prices at the time of writing start at $169 for a 3-pack with 102 sq. ft. coverage. Audimute will ship to 200 countries around the world.