Building a soundproof room from scratch is costly and requires much time and effort. You must look for ways that are cost-effective and meet your soundproofing needs.
One simple and effective way of soundproofing any noisy space is to place some acoustic panels that absorb sound waves. The acoustic panels are rigid frames filled with insulation material and covered by a fabric layer. They can help you block the noises in the room and make your interior aesthetically pleasing.
Acoustic panels can be expensive, however, few affordable alternatives are available in the market. Here, take a look at the 5 best cheap and affordable acoustic panels that can be useful for both acoustic treatment and soundproofing.
Top Picks For Best Affordable Acoustic Panels
Most of the acoustic panels are expensive as these are heavy-duty products for soundproofing. Nevertheless, after thorough market research, we found some highly effective and cheap acoustic panels for you. Here are our top picks:
| Product | Features | Link |
| ATS Acoustic Panel (Best-overall) | – 1.0 NCR – 4 color options – Wooden frame – Jute fabric covering – Removes reverberations and echoes – 2-inch thick | Amazon |
| TroyStudio Acoustic Panel (Runner-up) | – 0.79 NCR – Fiberglass material – Controls echo and reduces sound – 2 panels included – Appropriate for smaller spaces like home studios or office cubicles – Fire resistant – 4 color options – 1-inch thick | Amazon |
Best Cheap Acoustic Panels
1. ATS Acoustic Panel
The ATS Acoustic panel tops our list since it is affordable, great at reducing noises, and has a decent design. These acoustic panels can effectively reduce noises from offices, classrooms, home studios, or any other setting.
The noise reduction coefficient of this panel is 1.0, which means it can dampen louder noises and remove the reverberations and echoes. Moreover, it comes in 24x48x2 size, which is good to place on large walls of a living room, classroom, or recording room.
ATS panels have a composite wood frame covered with quality textured jute fabric. It will be a fine addition to your interior, as it gives you four color options to choose from. Also, the plain colored fabric allows you to print or hang art pieces on it and add to the beauty of your room.
You might still find it a little too pricey as you will only be getting a single acoustic panel. However, if you compare it with some premium products, you will find ATS panels a much better soundproofing material at a reasonable price.
Pros
- 1.0 NRC
- Wooden frame
- Jute fabric covering
- Removes reverberations and echoes
- 2-inch thick
- 4 color options
Cons
- Only one panel included
- Mounting hardware is not available
2. TroyStudio Acoustic Panel
The second acoustic panel on our list is the TroyStudio Acoustic Panel, which is also the most budget-friendly panel on the list. The package includes a set of 2 acoustic panels which are smaller in size and are suitable for smaller workspaces and rooms.
Though not very thick, these acoustic panels have quite impressive sound absorbing capability and can control the echoes. TroyStudio budget acoustic panels have an NRC of 0.79, which is enough if your goal is to dampen the sound and eliminate the echo.
The dense fiberglass material makes it effective against sound waves. Moreover, the fabric that covers the fiberglass is heat and fire-resistant.
These panels are available in 4 different colors, which can add a classy look to your rooms.
However, one downside of this product is the initial weird fish-like smell that will go away after some time. Also, at this price, you cannot expect it to absorb higher frequency sounds. TroyStudio panels are not appropriate for larger rooms because of their size.
Pros
- 0.79 NRC
- Fiberglass material
- Controls echo and reduces sound
- 2 panels included
- Appropriate for smaller spaces like home studios or office cubicles
- Fire resistant
- 4 color options
- 1-inch thick
Cons
- Unpleasant odour
- Not suitable for larger rooms
3. Acoustimac Sound Absorbing Acoustic Panel
Acoustimac Sound Absorbing Acoustic Panels are yet another low-cost option for controlling the noise. Ideally, these acoustic panels are used for home theaters or studios. With an NRC rating of 0.95, Acoustimac panels are highly functional against high-frequency noises.
It has a wooden inner frame and back, with mineral wool being used as the absorption material. Safety-wise Acoustimac panels are very sound, as they are fire-resistant. These panels are available in six colors, so you can easily pick one that matches your interior. It will quieten the noise and make your home theaters and studios look sleek.
The best thing about these panels is you would not require several panels; four to six will be enough for an average-sized room. However, if you have to use it for soundproofing a drum room, more will be required.
These are slightly more expensive than some of the other options but work amazingly for sound absorption.
Pros
- 0.95 NRC
- Compatible for all types of spaces
- Mounting hardware available
- Wooden frame
- Fire resistant
- 2-inch thick
- 6 color options
Cons
- Only one panel is included
4. ATS Acoustic Panel 24x24x2 Inches
Just like the ATS large-sized acoustic panels, the smaller ones are also cheap and impressive for soundproofing. These are 2-inch thick sound-absorbing panels that are ideal for compact apartment rooms, office cubicles, etc.
It has the perfect NRC rating of 1.0, which will make your apartment living much peaceful. Moreover, it will add a posh look to your interior design, as it has four elegant color options.
Although these panels are of great quality, they have some limitations too. Firstly, these are smaller in size, so a number of panels will be required to cover a larger room. Secondly, it is tricky to install ATS panels, as no mounting hardware is available with the package.
Pros
- 1.0 NRC
- Wooden frame
- Suitable for smaller rooms
- Textured jute
- Limits noise and removes echoes
- 4 color options
- 2-inch thick
Cons
- Smaller in size
- Only a single panel included
- No mounting hardware
5. BXI Wood Acoustic Diffuser Panels
BXI Wood Acoustic Diffuser Panels are affordable, uniquely designed acoustic panels. These are made of wood and have six slim compartments. Though it has a nice finish, you can also paint it according to your liking. Therefore, these can be great DIY acoustic panels.
The BXI panel is ideal for acoustic treatment of the music rooms. Sometimes, soundproofing the music studios using acoustic panels can make it too dead for music practicing and recording. But the six compartments of these acoustic panels help in diffusing sound and mitigate the echoes.
Pros
- Suitable for acoustic treatment of musical rooms
- 2.8-inch thickness
- Wooden frame with 6 compartments
- Diffuses sound
- Controls echo
Cons
- No fabric layer
- Not for soundproofing
Buying Guide For Best Affordable Acoustic Panels
If you are looking to buy acoustic panels, you need to be absolutely clear about a few things which include differentiating between acoustic foams and panels, NCR, type of material, and the thickness of acoustic panels.
Knowing The Difference Between Acoustic Foams And Acoustic Panels
Before you buy the best acoustic panels, you must know the difference between acoustic foams and acoustic panels. Since these terms are used interchangeably, most people end up buying foam instead of panels.
Acoustic Foams are light porous materials through which sound can pass through easily. Therefore, you can somewhat reduce the echo and loudness, however, they cannot help you in completely blocking the noise. Acoustic foams come in various shapes and sizes. For making acoustic foams functional, you have to cover the walls, ceiling, door, and windows of your room with sheets of acoustic foam.
In contrast to this, acoustic panels are thicker and rigid rectangular panels, often made of wood and other insulation material. In an average size room, you can hang 2-4 of these panels that can easily reduce the noise to a great extent.
Though acoustic foams are much cheaper than acoustic panels, they cannot help in reducing high-frequency sounds. So, in this aspect, using panels is a better option.
Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC) Ratings
Understanding the criteria of NRC rating is another important thing before you buy acoustic panels. NRC is the coefficient that varies between 0 and 1. It determines the sound absorption capacity of the material. The higher the value, the more effective the material is for sound absorption.
0.85 is the average NRC rating, and the panels having the higher value are considered ideal for soundproofing. However, if you only need to dampen the noises, you can go for acoustic panels under 0.85 NRC. The best cheap acoustic panels are the ATS ones with 1.0 NRC.
Thickness
Considering the thickness of acoustic panels is also essential for the selection of the right one. The thickness of the panel allows it to block the sound within and not give sound waves any space to bounce back and forth. Therefore, the thicker the panels are, the better they are at absorbing sound.
You must also consider the room structure that needs soundproofing and how much you need to control the sound levels. If your room is small and you only need to deaden the surrounding noises, then the 1-inch thick panels would do. Also, you cannot place the thicker panels in small studios as it will congest the room. However, large rooms can easily accommodate 2-inch thicker panels for sound absorption.
Material
Considering the material of acoustic panels is also essential. The panels have to be rigid surfaces to absorb sound. Therefore mostly wooden frames are used in acoustic panels that are covered with condensed fabric. The wooden frames are filled with absorbing substances like mineral wool, foam, cellulose, etc.
Other than wood, acoustic panels are composed of thick fiberglass material that has an overlay of fabric. Fiberglass also works as a great sound insulator. However, wooden sound absorption panels are considered better than fiberglass ones.
FAQs
Are cheap acoustic panels effective?
Yes, acoustic panels can be effective to a great extent and there are many low-cost options available in the market. The acoustic panels mitigate the reflective surfaces in the room so that the sound waves cannot reverberate. Though for complete soundproofing, you would require more insulation material in the room structure. Nevertheless, the addition of few acoustic panels can substantially reduce noises and echoes.
Are foam acoustic panels any good for soundproofing?
Foam acoustic panels are appropriate for echo control and dampening the noise. However, even if you cover the entire room with acoustic foams, you cannot entirely block the sound transfer. For soundproofing, acoustic panels are a much better choice.
Which acoustic panels work best?
The best acoustic panels are the ones with wooden frames, dense absorbing material, and should have a thickness of 2-inches. Also, the ones with an NRC rating of over 0.85 are more effective for blocking the sound waves.
How do acoustic panels work?
The sound-insulating panels are made of thick wooden frames, absorbing substances, and fabric covering. When sound waves hit the surface of the acoustic panels, it penetrates to the insulation material layer. It mitigates the loudness reducing the echoes and reverberations. Then the thick wood frame helps contain the sound within by blocking its transfer to the room structure.
Final Thoughts
Generally, soundproofing any room is an expensive and time-consuming task. But with the help of cheap and affordable acoustic panels, you can easily make your recording studios, office cubicles, home theaters, and any other settings soundproof.
Picking the right acoustic panel can be tricky because of the confusion between acoustic foams and acoustic panels. Therefore to buy an acoustic panel that fits your requirements, you must know that foam only dampens the sound a bit and removes echo. On the other hand, acoustic panels are a more effective and viable option for soundproofing as they can block the sound transfer.
One of the best cheap acoustic panels is ATS Acoustic Panels, which are perfect for soundproofing large spaces. With 1.0 NRC and 2-inch thickness, it can block the music room noise too. However, if you want to soundproof your home studios or office cubicles, the small-sized TroyStudio Acoustic Panel would be more appropriate.