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Who makes the best sound deadening materials nowadays?

18K views 98 replies 34 participants last post by  crdi_lover 
#1 ·
I'm thinking of going with this company:


Because they're real engineers, and I have had a couple of people tell me that their car just ended up quieter than with Second Skin. But I wanted to stop by here and ask if anyone knows who makes the best sound deadener in the industry. Maybe there's someone better than Cascade. I used to think the best would be that Sound Deadener Showdown guy, but he closed up shop a few years ago.

Thanks!

Edit: Specifically, right now I'm looking for a door kit for my 2018 Toyota Camry. Apparently with those cars, the noise is mostly coming from the doors. I want to block as much as I can, because the car is a lot noisier than I'd like at highway speeds.
 
#3 ·


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#5 ·
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#24 ·
I recently tried the "sonic barrier" product at Parts express
Good luck. I used that in my old car and it melted in under a year. I live in VA and while it does get hot here, it's not that hot.

Look up batdoggarage on YouTube (@JI808 on here) he's got videos showing the mess he had to deal with.
 
#13 ·
Thanks to all for the replies. Yes it looks like resonix is the clear winner here. There's just one problem - It looks like all their testing is only done on CLD tiles. Aren't you supposed to use something different for the doors? IIRC, it's something that replaces the vapor barrier. I don't think you simply slap on some CLD tiles. I may be wrong about that, someone feel free to correct me. Over the years, I've seen things like this in use when it comes to the doors:

 
#26 ·
Owner of ResoNix here. One of my first customers is a member of this forum. He used it to quiet down a rattle from his exhaust shield on his Polaris(?) side by side. He lives on Phoenix Arizona. Still to this day he sends me updates that it is still holding strong.

An exhaust shield. I honestly am not sure how it holds up to that lol
 
#27 ·
IMO anyone on this forum that needs a product like this should buy from nick if his product works for the application, always support the guy/s that are on the forum and offers there support/help to forum members, just a thought but its true
 
#32 ·
Well my question has been answered. So I may as well ask a related question, that probably isn't worthy of it's own thread in a car audio forum:

What's the best foam or deadening material I can use to sound deaden my computer? I just had to buy a new cpu cooler because the other one was lousy and died. So I bought one of the best, a Noctua brand cooler and fan. But I have a 65 watt CPU and that means it gets kinda warm, which spins up the fan pretty good.

Which sound material would be best to line the panels with? I'm assuming it will be some kind of foam. Or perhaps a couple of materials put together in layers.
 
#33 ·
What's the best foam or deadening material I can use to sound deaden my computer? I just had to buy a new cpu cooler because the other one was lousy and died. So I bought one of the best, a Noctua brand cooler and fan. But I have a 65 watt CPU and that means it gets kinda warm, which spins up the fan pretty good.

Which sound material would be best to line the panels with? I'm assuming it will be some kind of foam. Or perhaps a couple of materials put together in layers.
I actually work in this industry and I know exactly the answers to that. For metal panels you can attach some dynamat like substances and then on top of that a 5mm thick layer of open cell foam with a density of 0.7 pounds per cubic foot. If you can't find that, there is another material that has little domes on it that are about the same size and shape as golf ball dimples (expect they poke outward instead of inward).

The biggest thing to focus on in PC noise however is not generating the noise in the first place. Try to keep the cooling paths open, grilles open, don't put objects right behind grills if you can, and ties back all your cables so they don't block airflow. Air likes to flow in a straight line between the fans and the openings and that sometimes means bypassing the thing you want to cool. Making some ducting (manilla file folders work well for this) to direct airflow over your trouble spots can also reduce required fan speeds. Lastly remove mesh if you can, and try to have at least 5mm spacing between your fans and any sort of mesh openings (seal the side gaps). The leading edge of a fan blade has a high pressure region in front of it that creates a lot of turbulence noise when it hits the sides of the holes in the metal PC case openings. Having a 5mm gap gives room for that air to stabilize.
 
#35 ·
Is anyone familiar with a product called Vibraflex ?
Went out and found a link for it. Normally a web page like this wouldn't leave me very impressed, but I read that this is what Steve Cooke uses.
 
#39 ·
I can vouch for Resonix. I've used several types over 20 plus years in my own vehicles. I'm sure some of them have improved over time. But I personally found Resonix Very easy to work with. Very sticky and easy to apply. No stupid little roller needed although I'm sure it wouldn't hurt. But easy to cut with a razor knife and flexible enough to get inside of those tight inner door areas.

As far as sound difference. After removing a previously installed sound deadener (which truthfully wasn't installed as well) I covered the inside of my outer door skin, the entire inside of my door frame, (leaving minimal holes), and also added some to the inside of my plastic door panel. The increased performance of my 6.75" midbass was instantly noticeable. Feels like they now perform to the best of their ability. I will be using Resonix products on future vehicles.
 
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#45 ·
Can anyone recommend the "bang for the buck" method of deadening/blocking sound coming from the doors? Someone gave me this video here, but I'm just not going to be able to go to the lengths of adding lead to my panels. So I need the two or three step method of getting good results. I can't go to the inth degree like the video shows. So what's the bang for the buck, now that we've established the best brand?

 
#47 ·
 
#55 · (Edited)
Realistically speaking though, different people have different goals... You have the guy looking for completely dead, no matter what. Resonix is optimal because of performance/$$. You have the guy trying to work within a budget, Resonix is optimal because of performance/$$, but that person has to know how to install it efficiently to get the maximum return with the minimum investment. 80/20 rule; 80% of the work is put into the last 20% of the result, or 20% of the work gets you 80% of the way there, either way you want to look at it...

The last type is the one who wants full coverage to say they have full coverage, but really isn't too worried about 90% vs 95% vs 100%, they just want it fully covered. One would think that the cheap, non-labeled stuff I used would work for them, but without a fancy label on it, it's not nearly as cool. Resonix is not a good value to these people either because they don't care about performance, they care about cool.

Somewhere in the middle you got the cheap SOB like myself, who finds the cheapest suitable stuff, real aluminum foil, car suitable rubber layer, etc., and does the same "50% application" I would regardless of what I was using. I was lucky and was able to save money by finding cheap stuff locally. Prior to finding that, Resonix was my choice. Moving forward, I'll likely use Resonix for my needs; not looking to add any more weight than I need to after the 1st round... I may only be 80% of the way to completely dead but the affect on a nearly 30 yr old vehicle was huge. Scared a mother and her daughter the other week closing my door; they thought someone wrecked into me...

The dumb SOB buys the cheapest crap they can find, regardless of whether its really suitable for a car environment or not.
 
#57 ·
Realistically speaking though, different people have different goals... You have the guy looking for completely dead, no matter what. Resonix is optimal because of performance/$$. You have the guy trying to work within a budget, Resonix is optimal because of performance/$$, but that person has to know how to install it efficiently to get the maximum return with the minimum investment. 80/20 rule; 80% of the work is put into the last 20% of the result, or 20% of the work gets you 80% of the way there, either way you want to look at it...

The last type is the one who wants full coverage to say they have full coverage, but really isn't too worried about 90% vs 95% vs 100%, they just want it fully covered. One would think that the cheap, non-labeled stuff I used would work for them, but without a fancy label on it, it's not nearly as cool. Resonix is not a good value to these people either because they don't care about performance, they care about cool.

Somewhere in the middle you got the cheap SOB like myself, who finds the cheapest suitable stuff, real aluminum foil, car suitable rubber layer, etc., and does the same "50% application" I would regardless of what I was using. I was lucky and was about to save money by finding cheap stuff locally. Prior to finding that, Resonix was my choice. Moving forward, I'll likely use Resonix for my needs; not looking to add any more weight than I need to after the 1st round... I may only be 80% of the way to completely dead but the affect on a nearly 30 yr old vehicle was huge. Scared a mother and her daughter the other week closing my door; they thought someone wrecked into me...

The dumb SOB buys the cheapest crap they can find, regardless of whether its really suitable for a car environment or not.
I’m the cheap SOB that hunts for deals. I found someone I guess trying to sell out and bought 3 bulk packs of Stinger Roadkill Expert for like $200 shipped. I covered everything because I had enough to do a damn house. lol
 
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#58 ·
Thanks for the replies, but I'm thinking I may have worded my post wrong. I guess I need to ask about bang for the buck steps, when using resonix on the doors. Cause you can really just keep spending and spending. So I only want to do the steps that net the "bang for the buck" results. Someone correct me if I'm wrong here, but to do the doors on a budget (still using resonix) I'm guessing you want to:

1. Use their vapor barrier replacement thing
2. Stick the CLD tiles wherever possible in the door
3. Try and stuff that sound absorbing fluffy fiber stuff in the nooks and crannies

Does that sound about right? I could keep going, but I run out of wallet. So if you had to do it, would that be what you'd do on a budget?
 
#60 ·
Thanks for the replies, but I'm thinking I may have worded my post wrong. I guess I need to ask about bang for the buck steps, when using resonix on the doors. Cause you can really just keep spending and spending. So I only want to do the steps that net the "bang for the buck" results. Someone correct me if I'm wrong here, but to do the doors on a budget (still using resonix) I'm guessing you want to:

1. Use their vapor barrier replacement thing
2. Stick the CLD tiles wherever possible in the door
3. Try and stuff that sound absorbing fluffy fiber stuff in the nooks and crannies

Does that sound about right? I could keep going, but I run out of wallet. So if you had to do it, would that be what you'd do on a budget?
I don't know that Nick has a vapor barrier replacement- unless you mean the lead sheet stuff. That is meant as an alternative to MLV. A LOT more expensive but able to fit in cars where MLV can't. I honestly would skip that step.

As far as the sound absorbing fluffy fiber stuff, I assume you mean 3M Thinsulate. You could do that, or do CCF. I'm planning on thinsulate in my doors as well... although there are people who have put rockwool and denim insulation in their doors as well. I won't speak to the total effectiveness since they also did MLV and CCF which does a large majority of the work here.
 
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