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basshead
X-TRAIL HOLIC
Date Registered: 02-2004
Location: Panania, Sydney
TOTAL POSTS: 2852
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Re: How effective is the Dynamat Xtreme?
William, I thought I'd already covered this in another topic, but I did a search and couldn't find my post. It could've been in the yahoogroup instead...
Dynamat is a premium high quality brand-name sound deadener, and you're most likely paying for the brand name (and research that goes into the product) as it is considerably more expensive than other brands (even when the product appears almost identical).
I have never used Dynamat (which even has different grades/thicknesses) however I have used a brand called Brown Bread which I believe is made in the UK and is very similar to Dynamat. It was available from Jaycar and Doran Pro Audio (Bankstown), and probably other stereo shops.
Another brand is G-Spot which is relatively new to the market, and similar to Dynamat in that is has different grades/thicknesses. I trialled a sample of it when it first became available (as I was heavily involved in the car audio scene several years ago).
Bostik also make a sound deadener that comes in sheets about 60cm long and 25cm wide, and I think it had about 20 sheets in a box for about $60?
All the above examples come with a self-adhesive backing (like a sticker). You can also get brush-on sound deadener for the really curvy or hard-to-reach panels.
If my memory serves me correctly, one of the car performance or car stereo magazines from years ago actually did a review of various brands of sound deadener (including a commonly- and cheaply-available construction sealant which comes as black sheets/strips/rolls with foil backing which became popular in the car audio circuit for some time, even though it was never intended for that purpose).
I say "was" because it's been several years since I've bought and used them, and am not sure if they are still available.
I can't remember exact prices or quantities off the top of my head - I think a roll of 50cm x 1m Brown Bread was about $30, yet for a similar size of Dynamat you'd be looking at well over double the price. I've already mentioned the Bostik price, and I can't remember where I bought that from - it was from a place that supplied automotic spare parts (ie: to smash repairers).
Each of the self-adhesive ones required heating up before applying them (so they could be bent into shape to cover the panels) - but some needed alot more heating than others. The Bostik ones I let sit separately on concrete in the sun on a hot day before I used them, and even then they still cracked as they cooled too quickly. The other brands were much more flexible and didn't require as much heating to mold them into shape.
On my previous car, I used up to 3 layers of Brown Bread on the two front doors. This made the doors very solid-sounding (when you knocked on them with your knuckles, and also when closing the doors). The "sample" G-Spot was used on the underside of the roof (trying not to damage the roof lining was a challenge) to try and reduce the booming noise the roof made as it flexed in and out from having three 12inch subs pumping away. I used the Bostik extensively on the floor of my previous car before that (I stripped the interior).
To summarise, any sound deadener is better than none at all, and more is better than a little bit. It isn't critical that every square inch is covered for sound quality, but to keep road noise out, you're going to need quite alot.
Applying it is very easy, and it's impossible to "make a mistake" apart from damaging trim panels in the process of removing or replacing them.
If you're after a bargain, I'd be surprised if eBay didn't spit out pages of sound deadener from a search. Otherwise I'd recommend the previously-mentioned stores, or check out Car Audio Australia's website/store.
--- Rich. X-013(c)
'04 S2 ST Auto. Nudge_roofracks_tow_tints_Lightforce_GME_YokoGeoA/T-S_TBS_bashplate_50mm-spacer-lift
Click here to see >300MB of photos and videos All For His Glory.
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1/Jun/2006, 11:18 pm
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