Auralex SonoSuede Overview & Build Quality

The suggested treatment that Auralex came up with for my room included an assortment of products, including the following:

• 1 SonoSuede Pro System ($1199)
• 1 SonoSuede HT System ($1199)
• 1 SCREEN 6 System ($1199)
• 4 SubDudes ($49.95/each)

Each SonoSuede System contains 8 SonoSuede Panels, 4 SonoSuede Corner Traps, and mounting blocks and impaler clips. The only difference in the Pro model and the HT model is the shape of the SonoSuede Panels. While both are the same length (48") and depth (1"), the HT version has a slightly triangular shape, whereas the Pro version is rectangular.

The SCREEN6 system consists of a set of six SpaceCouplers and mounting hardware for wall or ceiling installations. They arrived in 3 boxes bundled together, each with 2 SpaceCouplers.

Build Quality

I dove into the boxes and first unpacked the box containing the SubDude isolation risers. These products are remarkably simple - constructed of 1/2" MDF covered with a dense, durable black fabric and supported by two 14" x 4" x 2" foam strips, with a smaller center strip of foam between them. The SubDude can be used for floating amps, speakers or subs, and it effectively decouples the sound source from the floor. The result is the removal of unwanted room resonance, which in turn tightens up the bass. Setup was as easy as removing the SubDudes from their boxes, and placing them underneath my subs and front left and right tower speakers.

I then opened up the enormous boxes containing the SonoSuede HT and SonoSuede Pro systems, and began to take out the panels. Other than the shape differences between the standard panels in the HT and Pro systems, the only difference in the Corner Traps is that they are 2" thick, as opposed to the 1" thickness of the others. The build quality of the panels themselves is excellent. The fabric feels convincingly like suede, and is tightly glued to the panel itself, which is lightweight and feels much like foam insulation. The rear of the panel is not fully covered in fabric, and you can see the yellow-orangey panel material. It is firm, but gives a little to the touch, and if you squeeze too hard you will make a dent or imprint in the panel. As long as you are reasonably careful, you should not worry about damaging the panels as you install them.

Also included in the box are several blocks of foam and several clip mounts. The clip mounts are pressed steel with 4 teeth that stick out to pierce and hold the panels. I found installation to be remarkably easy. You have the option of mounting the clips directly to the wall, or (according to Auralex) for increased bass response you can put a foam spacer between the wall and the clips to "float" the panels off of the wall. I did this wherever possible in the room. It looked great, and I needed as much help with stray low frequencies in my room as possible.