t.akustik HiLo-N40

Application: home studio (a single room 6x3 meters which needs to be acoustically almost dead)

For a while, I couldn?t decide whether to go for these panels or a larger 1x1 meter version. I'm glad I went for 1x0.5 meter model.

For one thing, they're cheaper per square meter.

Also, a smaller panel is easier to maneuver into position on the wall, is less prone to bend under it's own weight and, last by not least, gives you more freedom in planning where to put them onto your studio walls.

These panels are very light but, at the same time, they're also sturdy and do not bend - it makes application very easy.

As for the acoustic properties - there were terrible reflections in the room even with all the furniture and carpets in place. A normal conversation echoed all around, every sneeze was 'amplified'.

After I attached 8 panels (6 on one long wall, 2 on the wall opposite + 7 pieces of small EQ Acoustics Classic Wedge 30 tiles), most of the reflections were gone. Sure, I still need to do something about the ceiling and the wall behind the speakers.

These are cheap but great quality acoustic foam panels - they do the job, they reduce (eliminate?) reflections, they contain the sound in the room and improve the acoustic properties.

It's likely that a professional would find them inadequate for a professional studio. But most of us are just keen amateurs - for our studios, these panels will do the right job for a great price.

An interesting note: the panels may appear to be of different shades of gray when looked at from an angle. This is an optical illusion caused by the way the panels are cut and formed. Turn one panel upside-down and you'll see they're perfectly matching.

I suggest that you align the panels before you glue them to the wall to make sure they appear to have the same color.

I used Thomann's t.akustik Contact Glue to attach them to the wall.

I bought a bunch of these panels. Good thing about them is that, considering their price, they do a good enough job.

The main problem for me though is that, they don't match in color. Some of them are darker than the others.

And also, for some of them, the edges are not evenly cut, i.e. on the same edge, it is cut on a valley in some points and on a hill on other points. In fact, you can see this problem on the first photo of the product!

I contacted Thomann about it, and they sent me some replacements, but the replacement items also had the same problems, so I gave up.

All in all, if you are going to have them on camera, I think you should elsewhere.

But if you don't have them on camera, they do a good enough job (considering the price).

I love these panels for their versatility. There are designed to be placed at different heights on the wall, allowing you to experiment with different positions and configurations to achieve the best acoustic results. This flexibility is particularly useful in rooms with varying sound reflections or when targeting specific problem areas.
In terms of performance, the HiLo-N40 excels at absorbing mid to high frequencies, effectively reducing reverberation and echo in a room. It helps create a more balanced and controlled sound environment, making it ideal for recording studios, home theaters, offices, or any space where accurate sound reproduction is desired. While the HiLo-N40 performs admirably in absorbing mid to high frequencies, it may have limited effectiveness in the lower frequency range. For rooms with significant low-frequency issues, additional bass traps or specialized panels may be necessary to achieve optimal results.
The value for the price is unbeatable. I love them!

I have a small home project studio on a very tight budget, and needed some isolation panels to minimise reflections behind the monitors, and to deaden a small vocal booth (which is essentially a cupboard under the stairs, Harry Potter style). These worked extremely well for both applications. I can now achieve those close up vocal recordings with zero reflections. Really clean.

Pros:
Ridiculously cheap
Large coverage
Very effective

Cons:
The size means they can be a little heavy for glue on overhead applications, but this is a minor issue, easily solved with staples.

If you're on a budget, I can't recommend these enough. Just do it.

I am in the process of converting an unused closet space into a vocal booth. Before the foam it was echo-y with audible high frequency resonance and was unsuitable for vocal performances. I only bought enough to test (just to cover about 1 wall) and already the difference is astonishing. I still intend to purchase some more to put it up too but honestly I would be happy to record in the space now, it's been deadened significantly.

Of course, these types of panels are not suitable for treating a listening environment (unless for some reason higher frequencies are the problem in your environment) as they are thin and have little to no bass absorption.

The panels are pretty good quality; they're all the same size and the peaks and troughs are even throughout. At the edges it cuts off at different points, although the cuts are all perfectly straight. It's quite thin so I did accidentally tear a little bit while roughly handling it but it's only very minor.

I supsect these would work perfectly for building your own paddded container too, which I think I might try some time.