Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
How much do acoustic panels really help? In this video, I test my home theater room with and without acoustic treatment to find out: using both real audio samples and Room EQ Wizard (REW) measurements.
I recorded before-and-after clips using a makeshift binaural mic setup, so you can actually hear how the room changes once my DIY acoustic panels are in place. Then, I measured my center channel speaker in REW to compare the frequency response and RT60 decay times.
The frequency response barely changes — but the decay time? That’s where the magic happens.
🎧 What’s in this video:
Real before & after audio (makeshift binaural test)
Room EQ Wizard RT60 comparison
Frequency response data
Quick breakdown of what acoustic panels actually fix
🎬 Gear & Tools Used:
• Measurement Mic – UMIK-1 (amzn.to/43Snq11)
• Room EQ Wizard (REW): roomeqwizard.com
• DIY Acoustic Panels (Rockwool / Fabric Wrapped Frames)
👉 If you’ve ever wondered whether acoustic treatment is worth it, this video shows the difference in both sound and data.
#hometheater #acoustictreatment #roomacoustics #REW #audiomeasurements #acousticpanels #beforeandafter
Basic calibration tools that might change your life:
VLIKE SPL Meter: amzn.to/34iKve3
UMIK-1 Measurement Mic: amzn.to/43Snq11
miniDSP 2X4 HD: amzn.to/2XOiUym
Spears & Munsil HD Benchmark (Blu-ray): amzn.to/3oQ5Q8h
Digital Video Essentials: HD Basics (Blu-ray): amzn.to/3fouWIo
Disney Wow: World of Wonder (Blu-ray): amzn.to/34llKhi
My Home Theater
Valenica Tuscany Ultimate Luxury Edition theater seats: https://us.valenciatheaterseating.com?sca_ref=2381969.gq6ABvF7ex
LG C1 OLED 77-inch 4K TV: amzn.to/3Ts1QJi
Denon X2300W Receiver: amzn.to/2CuemWI
Pioneer SP-FS52 Floorstanding Speakers: amzn.to/3jpREzs
Pioneer SP-C22 Center Speaker: amzn.to/32zytgQ
Pioneer SP-BS22 Speaker Pair (L/R surround): amzn.to/3fM5ryl
Polk VT60 In-Ceiling Speakers (linked to 70-RT): amzn.to/3MHNZwg
Dual SVS PB-2000 Pro Subwoofers: anrdoezrs.net/click-100199167-14296642
Dual SVS PB-1000 Pro Subwoofers:
PS5: (basically won the lottery)
XBOX Series X: (another lottery win)
Nintendo Switch: amzn.to/30olzj2
LG UP970 UHD Player: amzn.to/2CuvDix
Apple 4K TV
NVIDIA Shield Pro (2019): amzn.to/3mzML9d
miniDSP 2X4 HD: amzn.to/2XOiUym
UMIK-1 Measurement Mic: amzn.to/3qs8noy
My Gaming/Editing PC
MSI B450 Tomahawk: amzn.to/3hjYrJu
Ryzen 9 3900XT: amzn.to/38A01FV
Corsair Vengeance RAM (4x8GB): amzn.to/32BC2TJ
NVIDIA RTX 2070 Super: amzn.to/2ClnbCj
Crucial P1 500GB NVMe: amzn.to/30yxyui
Sandisk Ultra 1TB SSD (x2): amzn.to/3hjm4lo
Seagate Barrucuda 2TB Drive: amzn.to/2DVokAI
Seasonic GX-750 PSU: amzn.to/30t0sfB
Phanteks P400A Case: amzn.to/2Wy6MRN
Corsair H115i Elite Capellix AIO: amzn.to/3pqUZAN
RGB Strip Lights: amzn.to/39egZrz
Corsair K55 Keyboard: amzn.to/3eKxaya
Corsair Harpoon Mouse: amzn.to/30rtbkV
HyperX Cloud Alpha S Gaming Headphones: amzn.to/3buDOut
Focusrite Scarlett Solo (2nd Gen): amzn.to/3jpGL0A
Audio Technica M40X Headphones: amzn.to/3fOz6qz
PreSonus Eris E3.5 Studio Monitors: amzn.to/30sVOyb
Audio Technica AT2020 Condensor Microphone: amzn.to/30xUn1v
BenQ EX2780Q Monitor: amzn.to/2BfBW90
BenQ MOBIUZ EX2710 Monitor: amzn.to/32YcTCs
AOC 27G2 Monitor: amzn.to/2CuL7TI
*Disclaimer: Brad (Home Theater Gamer) is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to www.amazon.com.
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Intro
00:16 - Thank you to @jzero225!
00:45 - A little backstory on my DIY panels
01:26 - Testing “methodology”
02:40 - Before and after audio examples
04:47 - My own personal reaction to the audio examples
05:16 - Frequency response differences… are there any?
05:57 - RT60 before panels
07:02 - RT60 after panels
08:18 - Dialogue clarity?
08:37 - Low frequency impact?
10:08 - What’s the take away here?
10:26 - If I was making DIY panels again, what would I do differently?
11:11 - The difference STILL surprises me!
How much do acoustic panels really help? In this video, I test my home theater room with and without acoustic treatment to find out: using both real audio samples and Room EQ Wizard (REW) measurements.
I recorded before-and-after clips using a makeshift binaural mic setup, so you can actually hear how the room changes once my DIY acoustic panels are in place. Then, I measured my center channel speaker in REW to compare the frequency response and RT60 decay times.
The frequency response barely changes — but the decay time? That’s where the magic happens.
🎧 What’s in this video:
Real before & after audio (makeshift binaural test)
Room EQ Wizard RT60 comparison
Frequency response data
Quick breakdown of what acoustic panels actually fix
🎬 Gear & Tools Used:
• Measurement Mic – UMIK-1 (amzn.to/43Snq11)
• Room EQ Wizard (REW): roomeqwizard.com
• DIY Acoustic Panels (Rockwool / Fabric Wrapped Frames)
👉 If you’ve ever wondered whether acoustic treatment is worth it, this video shows the difference in both sound and data.
#hometheater #acoustictreatment #roomacoustics #REW #audiomeasurements #acousticpanels #beforeandafter
Basic calibration tools that might change your life:
VLIKE SPL Meter: amzn.to/34iKve3
UMIK-1 Measurement Mic: amzn.to/43Snq11
miniDSP 2X4 HD: amzn.to/2XOiUym
Spears & Munsil HD Benchmark (Blu-ray): amzn.to/3oQ5Q8h
Digital Video Essentials: HD Basics (Blu-ray): amzn.to/3fouWIo
Disney Wow: World of Wonder (Blu-ray): amzn.to/34llKhi
My Home Theater
Valenica Tuscany Ultimate Luxury Edition theater seats: https://us.valenciatheaterseating.com?sca_ref=2381969.gq6ABvF7ex
LG C1 OLED 77-inch 4K TV: amzn.to/3Ts1QJi
Denon X2300W Receiver: amzn.to/2CuemWI
Pioneer SP-FS52 Floorstanding Speakers: amzn.to/3jpREzs
Pioneer SP-C22 Center Speaker: amzn.to/32zytgQ
Pioneer SP-BS22 Speaker Pair (L/R surround): amzn.to/3fM5ryl
Polk VT60 In-Ceiling Speakers (linked to 70-RT): amzn.to/3MHNZwg
Dual SVS PB-2000 Pro Subwoofers: anrdoezrs.net/click-100199167-14296642
Dual SVS PB-1000 Pro Subwoofers:
PS5: (basically won the lottery)
XBOX Series X: (another lottery win)
Nintendo Switch: amzn.to/30olzj2
LG UP970 UHD Player: amzn.to/2CuvDix
Apple 4K TV
NVIDIA Shield Pro (2019): amzn.to/3mzML9d
miniDSP 2X4 HD: amzn.to/2XOiUym
UMIK-1 Measurement Mic: amzn.to/3qs8noy
My Gaming/Editing PC
MSI B450 Tomahawk: amzn.to/3hjYrJu
Ryzen 9 3900XT: amzn.to/38A01FV
Corsair Vengeance RAM (4x8GB): amzn.to/32BC2TJ
NVIDIA RTX 2070 Super: amzn.to/2ClnbCj
Crucial P1 500GB NVMe: amzn.to/30yxyui
Sandisk Ultra 1TB SSD (x2): amzn.to/3hjm4lo
Seagate Barrucuda 2TB Drive: amzn.to/2DVokAI
Seasonic GX-750 PSU: amzn.to/30t0sfB
Phanteks P400A Case: amzn.to/2Wy6MRN
Corsair H115i Elite Capellix AIO: amzn.to/3pqUZAN
RGB Strip Lights: amzn.to/39egZrz
Corsair K55 Keyboard: amzn.to/3eKxaya
Corsair Harpoon Mouse: amzn.to/30rtbkV
HyperX Cloud Alpha S Gaming Headphones: amzn.to/3buDOut
Focusrite Scarlett Solo (2nd Gen): amzn.to/3jpGL0A
Audio Technica M40X Headphones: amzn.to/3fOz6qz
PreSonus Eris E3.5 Studio Monitors: amzn.to/30sVOyb
Audio Technica AT2020 Condensor Microphone: amzn.to/30xUn1v
BenQ EX2780Q Monitor: amzn.to/2BfBW90
BenQ MOBIUZ EX2710 Monitor: amzn.to/32YcTCs
AOC 27G2 Monitor: amzn.to/2CuL7TI
*Disclaimer: Brad (Home Theater Gamer) is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to www.amazon.com.
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Intro
00:16 - Thank you to @jzero225!
00:45 - A little backstory on my DIY panels
01:26 - Testing “methodology”
02:40 - Before and after audio examples
04:47 - My own personal reaction to the audio examples
05:16 - Frequency response differences… are there any?
05:57 - RT60 before panels
07:02 - RT60 after panels
08:18 - Dialogue clarity?
08:37 - Low frequency impact?
10:08 - What’s the take away here?
10:26 - If I was making DIY panels again, what would I do differently?
11:11 - The difference STILL surprises me!
