Frequently Asked Questions FAQ

There’s a difference between a GIK Acoustics product and all others on the market.  We separate ourselves from other acoustic treatment manufacturers in 6 primary areas.

QUALITY MATERIALS MEAN QUALITY PRODUCTS:

GIK Acoustics products are beyond simple do-it-yourself panels that are found on the market today. We start with only the highest-quality materials that will not sag or leak over time, then we build every panel by hand employing a unique two-frame system.

VALUE:

Dollar for dollar, GIK Acoustics’ products absorb more sabins (sound) than any other product on the market. We provide our customers the most cost effective solution to make every space sound it’s best.

HELPFUL SUPPORT STAFF:

We start by helping customers determine the best products to treat their space with our free, expert Acoustic Advice.  Our well-respected design team has years of experience and are available to provide assistance not only with product selection but product placement within your room.

In addition to providing knowledgeable recommendations, GIK Acoustics maintains contact throughout the order process. Our trained Customer Service team ensures quality, timely delivery and reliability.  And our staff is available to help with special needs or custom orders.

INFORMATIVE:

When it comes to improving the sound quality in a room, many find the science to be overwhelming and the task of DIY’ing acoustic treatments to be daunting. As part of our commitment to our customers, GIK Acoustics provides Educational Articles and Videos to demystify room acoustics. It’s long been our goal to help customers truly understand how sound behaves in a space and the importance and benefits of proper room treatment.

INNOVATIVE:

Over the past 10 years, GIK Acoustics has pioneered a number of acoustic treatments that you can’t find anywhere else. From the Tri-Trap Corner Bass Trap© to our Soffit Bass Trap© to the built in Scatter Plate, GIK continues to innovate.

ENVIRONMENTAL:

It’s our commitment to use environmentally safe materials for all our products.  We use Greensafe absorption material, eco-friendly wood and we offer customers recycled fabric options as well. Greensafe means GIK Acoustics products are friendlier on air quality, the environment, and your budget. GIK Acoustics products are not only Greensafe, but they carry a Class A fire rating which means we continue to provide our clients with the safest most effective products available. The Class A fire rating means that GIK Acoustics treatments have received the highest rating possible under the ASTM E84, a test used by code officials and regulatory agencies in the acceptance of interior finish materials.

Glenn Kuras started GIK Acoustics in Atlanta, GA, in 2004. As a musician, Glenn knew the importance of great sound and he founded the company on a philosophy to provide quality products AND quality information. Glenn brought together a team whose experience and passion would add to the company’s overall growth. Within four years, GIK Acoustics expanded and GIK Acoustics-Europe was opened in Bradford, UK. Today, GIK Acoustics is still driven by Glenn’s desire for innovation, product excellence and outstanding customer satisfaction.

We welcome visitors to our office in Atlanta; however, we don’t have a showroom or physical store. As it’s our workplace, we suggest giving us a call so we can schedule a good time for you to come by. Simply contact us at orders@gikacoustics.com or 404-492-8364.

GIK Acoustics-U.S.A. is based in Atlanta, GA
GIK Acoustics-Europe is based in Bradford UK

Customers can arrange to pick up items from our Atlanta plant, but please bring a large vehicle. You can only fit one or two panels into a Ford Focus!

Please carefully read the detailed information and instructions in our Local Pickup Information page. 

Within the U.S.A. and Canada, we ship using FedEx Ground. For large orders (over 10 boxes) we ship via Freight. Please see our shipping policies here: GIK Policies page.

Both the offerings we feature for Guilford of Maine (GOM) and the GIK house line fabrics are all acoustically transparent. There are not performance benefits from choosing one over the other. There are, however, some reasons to consider one over the other:

GOM fabric inclusion on a panel allows for a class A fire rating certificate in the case of commercial applications. If you are installing panels in a commercial facility the inclusion of GOM fabric will ensure that you will have no problems.

The sheen of fabric can be a consideration specifically for theater applications. The FR-701 fabric from GOM should be considered matte. The GIK house fabric is eggshell. When screen glare is a consideration, GOM is a better choice.

Aside from these two aspects, the only differences amount to the colors that are available.

While exceptions are the rule, these are generally the size boxes we ship.

(Dimensions are in inches.)

Simply contact us at orders@gikacoustics.com or 404-492-8364.

All of our products are 100% Guaranteed. You may return items for a full refund (excluding custom products) within 30 days. We require customers to pay for roundtrip shipping – the cost to send products to you and the cost to ship returns back to us. The entire purchase price of the products will be refunded as soon as we receive the panels.
We want every customer to be happy with our products and our service. Our family-owned company won’t have it any other way!
You can see our Return Policy here: GIK Policies page. Simply contact us at orders@gikacoustics.com or 404-492-8364.

Alpha and Impression series plates are both an Amplitude Grating type of scattering that is comparable in effect to diffusion. The difference between Impression and Alpha lies in how the pattern is derived. Alpha patterns are mathematically optimized to promote a wide and coherent range of frequencies that will scatter. Impression, on the other hand, are more decor friendly versions that are more repetitive in nature. Ultimately both will be a good option for maintaining some mid and high energy in your room, but Alphas should be considered over Impression in studio or very critical listening applications, while the Impression finds its way into many home theaters, living rooms and offices.

We can absolutely manufacture acoustic panels and bass traps per your specifications. We’ve done all sorts of custom orders from smaller sizes to extra large panels. We offer custom size products in our 9 standard fabrics or in any Guilford of Maine fabric upgrade. Just contact us to get started! orders@gikacoustics.com or 404-492-8364.

Our goal is to provide customers with acoustic treatments they can depend on for years to come which is why we use quality materials to manufacture products that outshine everything else on the market. Our products are not a simple frame around a sheet of mineral wool, but a unique frame design that uses ECOSE rigid fiberglass. The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office issued utility patent US 9,091,060 for GIK’s unique, proprietary design of its 242 Acoustic Panels, 244 Bass Traps with FlexRange Technology, and Monster Bass Traps with FlexRange Technology. We recommend keeping fabric-covered panels out of direct sunlight. For more about the materials in our products, click here: https://gikacoustics.com/greensafe/

Glad you asked! Whether placing acoustic treatments in your home or in a commercial setting, you want to be sure that they are safe. GIK Acoustics products are not only Greensafe, but they carry a Class A fire rating which means we continue to provide our clients with the safest most effective products available.

The Class A fire rating means that GIK Acoustics treatments have received the highest rating possible under the ASTM E84, a test used by code officials and regulatory agencies in the acceptance of interior finish materials.

Some rooms certainly have inherently worse acoustics than others, but acoustic issues are characteristic of any enclosed space; so there are almost always improvements to be had in a room. We’ve put together some helpful articles and videos that demonstrate how acoustic treatments improve the sound in a room. Click on a title to open:

• Audio Example of Treated vs. Untreated Room
• Room Setup Case Study
• Room Acoustics Primer

We are proud to offer free, expert Acoustic Advice. Our well-respected design team has years of experience and are available to provide assistance not only with product selection but product placement within your room. Click here to fill out our Acoustic Advice Form, which is sent directly to glenn.k@gikacoustics.com. You may also email Glenn directly glenn.k@gikacoustics.com or give us a call at (404) 492-8364.

We are asked this question a lot, so we have a thorough explanation here: Comparing Acoustic Foam to GIK 244 Bass Traps – Test Analysis.

GIK Acoustics has submitted our products to an independent, third party acoustic laboratory for testing. The value of the testing is to illustrate and substantiate the effectiveness of GIK Acoustics products. To locate the Riverbank Acoustical Laboratories results, simply look for the “Test Results” tab next to the description of the product. There you will find an overview of the performance along with a link to the lab’s report. If you should still have any questions about the effectiveness, please feel free to contact us at orders@gikacoustics.com or 404-492-8364.

The short answer is no.Acoustic treatments in a room affects how sound moves inside the air in the room. In order to get proper isolation and reduce sound transmission, you have to change how sound moves along the actual walls, which can usually only be done by construction. If you need isolation, we recommend contacting a contractor in your area that has successfully completed isolation projects in the past with satisfied, happy clients.

We have an article with some tried-and-true methods for this isolation (also known commonly as soundproofing).

Our standard acoustic panels come with eyehooks on the back and picture wire, so they hang like a large picture frame. The only thing you’ll need is picture hanging hardware. We recommend Ooks Hooks (see link) since they only create a small nail hole, but if a stronger hold is necessary, drywall anchors or french cleats can be used instead.

We’ve crafted some helpful articles and videos to guide you through the ceiling and corner installation. Click the following links for our recommended methods for installing Acoustic Panels and Bass Traps.

• Ceiling Mounting
• Video on Mounting Bass Traps in Wall-to-Wall Corners
• Mounting Bass Traps in Upper Corners

Our corner bass traps, like the GIK Tri-Trap and GIK Soffit Trap are freestanding and don’t require mounting to the walls. You can affix any of our standard panels on GIK Custom Metal Stands or you can affix them to your boom stand using our Boom Stand Brackets. We also carry two different gobos that don’t require mounting to the wall: the GIK FreeStand Acoustic Panel and GIK Screen Panel.

Our Cloud Mounting Brackets can be used to mount the GIK 242 Acoustic Panels, and the 244 and Monster Bass Traps from the ceiling.
Other ceiling mounting methods are spelled out on our article: Acoustic Panel or Bass Trap Ceiling Mounting.
To mount products in the ceiling corners, check out our article: Mounting Bass Traps in Corners.

Each of the product pages has a “Colors Available” tab left of the description which shows the available colors for any product.

Typically, most panels are centered around ear height or tweeter height in the room, but there can be variance depending on the use of the panels.

We offer broadband bass traps which absorb bass, mid, and high frequencies – like the Tri-Trap Corner Bass Trap, 244 Full Range Bass Trap, Monster Full Range Bass Trap, and Soffit Bass Trap.
We also offer targeted bass traps that are limited in the frequencies that they absorb, like the 244 Range Limiter Bass Trap, the Monster Range Limiter Bass Trap, and the GIK Scopus Tuned Trap, which can be tuned to absorb a particular range of bass frequencies.
Please see Understanding Different Bass Trapping if you want to learn more about the differences between bass traps.

No – bookshelves don’t work very well as diffusors. First of all books (if anything) will be more absorptive than reflective. Second, random depths of books on a shelf do not generate even, random reflections. The width, height, spacing, and pattern of the wells of a diffusor are carefully calculated to make sure they generate a smooth and even scattering of the waves over a 180 degree angle. Third, without this calculated spacing, reflected sound waves will interfere with direct sound which can create comb filtering. In effect you’re likely to get very little of the benefit of a professional diffusor while creating more issues in the frequency response.

Overall, the best way to obtain proper diffusion is not through a home remedy but to utilize carefully calculated and professionally manufactured diffusors. Such as the GIK Acoustics QRD Diffusor, Q7d Diffusor, GridFusor or built-in Scatter Plate.