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Finally, The World's First THX-Certified Door
Posted by John Mahoney at 1:15 AM on September 3, 2008
Home theatre junkies are now one step closer to a fully THX-certified home thanks to Serious Materials' QuietHome soundproof doors, which joins the company's QuietRock THX-certified drywall. The Serious folks claim an 85% improvement in sound blockage over a standard solid-core door with the 2 1/4-inch thick THX-certified edition, which will set you back US$2,500 when it clears the certification board (and once the first shipment clears to George Lucas's Presidio compount). If you're in the target market for a THX-certified door, US$2,500 probably won't sting too badly. Now, where is my THX-certified easy chair and acoustically neutral Pringles can? Read on for full details.
Serious Materials Introduces QuietHome Soundproof Doors
World's first THX®-Certified soundproof door joins THX-Certified QuietRockSUNNYVALE, CA -- Serious Materials today announced its new line of QuietHome soundproof doors. These new products provide market-leading noise reduction in an attractive, stainable wood, pre-hung door package, and are perfect for high-end home theatres, commercial studios, offices and conference rooms. Unlike most metal acoustic doors, these look like they belong in a high-end home.
The entry-level QuietHome Door features a very high STC rating of 44 and is only 1¾" thick. The THX-Certified QuietHome Door provides an STC rating of 51 in a 2¼" thick door, and is the only acoustic door in the world to meet the demanding standards required for THX certification*. Typical hollow-core doors have an STC rating of only 15 and solid-core doors about 27. The high performance of QuietHome Doors reduce noise 65-85% compared to a solid core door. For the ultimate in performance in high-end home theatres, two QuietHome Doors may be used back to back, separated by a three-foot air gap, for a total STC rating of over 80.
The suggested price of QuietHome Doors ranges from $1,495 to $2,495, or up to 50% lower than other acoustic doors. QuietHome Doors are available for ordering now through building products dealers and lumberyards nationwide, and online at http://quietsolution.stores.yahoo.net/construction.html. Initial products will ship to customers in Q4.
"At THX, we believe great sound and picture is achieved through the right mix of audio-video components, room design, sound isolation and acoustic performance," said John Dahl, director of education at THX. "For maximum enjoyment of your favourite movies and music, you have to keep the noise out and the sound in. THX-Certified QuietHome Doors - along with THX-Certified QuietRock - help deliver that great listening experience."
Leveraging more than 25 years of cinema and professional studio design expertise, THX partnered with Serious Materials to develop a portfolio of acoustic materials for the professional building community. The THX Certified QuietHome Door and QuietRock® soundproof drywall provide designers and architects a means to meet the sound isolation demands of commercial cinemas, recording studios and home theaters.
Serious Materials' advanced-technology Quiet®-brand products are recognised as the leader in noise reduction for construction projects, and have been used in over 35,000 projects. Its QuietRock® soundproof drywall delivers noise reduction at the lowest total cost, has over 90% market share in the category, and includes the only THX-Certified soundproof drywall, QuietRock 545 THX, with STC ratings up to 80. The new QuietHome Doors incorporate Serious' proprietary viscoelastic polymer-based constrained layer damped system, a multi-layer design and advanced seals throughout the door edge.

Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
VideoVampire
Posted 1:39 AM 3/9/08
I had my ass THX Certified, you should hear the tone!
VideoVampire
Bokusatsu_Tenshi
Posted 1:57 AM 3/9/08
This is all very nice, but unfortunately, I have non-THX Certified ears.
Bokusatsu_Tenshi
Notch Johnson
Posted 1:57 AM 3/9/08
Can R2-D2 unlock it? sonic screwdriver?
Notch Johnson
JBKing
Posted 1:56 AM 3/9/08
I wonder if i replace the drywall around the wall where the upstairs drain is with the THX quiet rock, if I wouldn't have to hear when someone upstairs flushes the toilet. TMI when I'm dowstairs watching a movie.
JBKing
Notch Johnson
Posted 1:47 AM 3/9/08
I want to stamp my name on stuff and get a cut of the profits when sold. Oh wait . . . Lucas beat me to it.
THX is worthless.
Notch Johnson
strider_mt2k
Posted 1:46 AM 3/9/08
My ass can't repel smoke of that magnitude being blown up it.
strider_mt2k
khoadley
Posted 1:45 AM 3/9/08
Bah humbug
If I had a home cinema (which I don't) and I had any friends (friends ?) then I'd insist they got themselves THX-certified before I let them in, just so they don't ruin the acoustic ...
khoadley
JDisnidiet
Posted 2:17 AM 3/9/08
What is a compount?
JDisnidiet
weendex
Posted 2:13 AM 3/9/08
$2500 for an STC51 door is very cheap. Usually you can count on $8000 and higher for a high stc door. However, that STC value of 51 is with a perfect installation, which very very rarely happens with high STC doors.
The weakest link with doors are the cracks around the perimeter, which you seal with neoprene perimeters and drop bottoms. However in order for the seals to work correctly the door has to be installed perfectly. One millimeter off and you've lost a few STC points to leaks around the seals.
I have done STC testing on several very heavy and serious STC54 doors at a large recording studio in the past and even with professional installers, only a couple of them exceeded STC50.
weendex
dead_red_eyes
Posted 2:11 AM 3/9/08
@Hectorvex:
Egg cartons do not work for soundproofing, but I'm sure your foam helps out tho. Auralex is the way to go really:
[auralex.com]
dead_red_eyes
MagnoliaBoy
Posted 2:08 AM 3/9/08
Please stop giving Lucas money, you see what he does with it...
MagnoliaBoy
Hectorvex
Posted 2:07 AM 3/9/08
I can finally replace the cardboard egg cartons and foam padding on the door!
Hectorvex
Shockage
Posted 2:29 AM 3/9/08
ROFLLLLLLLLLL
for some unknown reason this title made me lawl...
a lot ROFL
Shockage
lpranal
Posted 2:28 AM 3/9/08
I wonder if it's rated for axe attack by Jack Nicholson. It's a feature sorely missing from most of today's theatre doors.
lpranal
Noobs-R-Us
Posted 3:12 AM 3/9/08
I can just use a 1.5" glass door for 1/10th the cost.
Noobs-R-Us
robinandtami
Posted 3:36 AM 3/9/08
A cheap, easy, and not butt ugly (unlike so many premade commerical alternatives) way to improve the acoustics in a room with harsh acoustics........
Get acoustical ceiling tile from your local hardware store. Go to the fabric store and choose fabrics to accentuate your room's decor. Cover tiles in fabric and hang in key locations, or cover the whole wall if you choose. You can cover the tiles in batting before the fabric for added improvement, or if you just prefer that look.
robinandtami
Parapraxis
Posted 4:08 AM 3/9/08
This door will go great in Zed's basement!
eeenie meenie minie mo....
Parapraxis
LairBob
Posted 9:50 AM 3/9/08
@weendex: Weendex totally gets it. This is another example of a technology that's been developed for professional purposes, and then appropriated for conspicuous consumption.
The only real need for "STC50 doors" is if you're running a recording studio, and you can't afford to have _any_ background noise come in and interfere with the recording. These products are made for the whole population of guys who read about "STC50" doors in audio-engineering mags, but can't really afford to spring for what they just read about.
LairBob