Egg Crate Vs Pyramid Foam for Soundproofing: Which is Best?

Are you debating on whether to use egg crate foam or pyramid foam to soundproof your studio space or other room?

As an instructional designer who’s recorded countless projects in both my home studio and professional studios over the years, I’ve tried out a variety of soundproofing materials. I’ve used both egg crate foam as well as pyramid foam and have found that they work best for different reasons.

In the guide below, I’ll help you with this difficult decision by giving you my feedback and reaction to using an egg crate foam and a pyramid foam.

Soundproofing Your Room with Egg Crate Foam

Egg crate foam can be used for a variety of different things such as mattress toppers to increase comfortability, packaging to protect breakable items and soundproofing against unwanted noise.

Egg crate foam is a good product to use for soundproofing because the cone design minimizes sound. It does this through its echo reduction method that occurs when noise reaches the cones.

When you have a sensitive microphone, it’s crucial to choose a great soundproofing material. If you feel like you may need a different microphone, check out this article for suggestions. It gives you a look at several of the best vocal microphones to use with different music genres.

The following are the pros and cons of using egg crate foam for soundproofing:

Pros:

• Egg crate foam is easy to install yourself.
• It is widely used for all types of rooms and professionals.
• Egg crate foam is very affordable.
• It is recommended for beginners.
• This type of foam helps with echo and sound distortion.
• It is also easy to find and purchase.

Cons:

• Egg crate foam works best in smaller rooms.
• It can only reduce a small amount of noise.
• This type of foam is not very attractive or appealing.
• You may need to cover it with other fabrics to make it look better and give you an extra layer of soundproofing.
• This type of foam only works if the tiles are placed correctly. Do not leave any space where sound can travel through.
• Egg crate foam cannot get much thicker to reduce more sound.
• It is better at absorbing higher sound frequencies than pyramid foam.

If you would like to know more information on using egg crate foam for soundproofing, check out Acoustic Fields’ YouTube video. He will provide you with details on closed- and open celled egg crate foam. In addition, he will also tell you how to properly use it in your room.

Soundproofing Your Room with Pyramid Foam

Pyramid foam is known for its pointed tips and is a good product for absorbing sound waves and frequencies. It won’t completely stop the noise, but it is known to absorb a good amount of it.

You can increase the thickness of pyramid foam by applying several layers of the foam where needed.

If you are looking for pyramid foam, you may be able to find excellent options in this article. It provides you with several different acoustic foam panels that are considered to be best for home recording studios.

The following are the pros and cons I’ve discovered with using pyramid foam for soundproofing:

Pros:

• Pyramid foam reduces bass sounds very well.
• This type of foam does a good job at diffusing sounds.
• It has a more interesting and attractive look than egg crate foam.
• Pyramid foam also enhances sound quality.
• It is easy to find and purchase.

Cons:

• Pyramid foam does not block overall sound very well.
• It is more expensive than egg crate foam.
• This type of foam only works if the tiles are placed correctly. Do not leave any space where sound can travel through.
• Pyramid foam is better at absorbing lower sound frequencies than egg crate foam.
• Several layers may need to be applied to make it thick and reduce more sounds. However, it is a good option for reducing more sounds because of its thickness.

If you would like more information on using pyramid foam for soundproofing, take a look at Greg Salazar’s YouTube video. He will show you how he installed pyramid foam in his room as well as give you his personal opinion on them.

Greg rents his space, so he will show you what to do if you also rent your space and would like to install pyramid foam. The goal is to ensure that your walls do not get messed up for your landlord.

How to Soundproof Your Room with Egg Create or Pyramid Foam

Below, I will tell you how to properly install acoustic foam to soundproof your room.

1. Gather your collection of egg crate or pyramid foam.
2. Clean the walls with rubbing alcohol to remove any dirt.
3. Make sure that the foam is clean and prepare it to be installed.
4. Attach the foam to the cardboard using glue, nails, adhesive, staples, or pushpins. These will help secure them in place.
5. After everything is dry, attach the cardboard to the wall using adhesive.
6. Make sure that you cover the entire surface of the wall. Do not miss any spot or sound will still be able to pass through.
7. You may have to place tape in between cracks and use blankets or curtains to cover the egg crate foam for extra soundproofing and to make it look more attractive.

What Should You Choose?

Choosing between these two types of foams for soundproofing is a personal choice. What works for you and your needs may not work for someone else and their needs.

Below, I’ll help you with your decision by telling you when you should use egg crate foam as well as when you should use pyramid foam.

When to use egg crate foam:

1. If you need to minimize high frequencies, choose egg crate foam as it typically only focuses on high-frequency sounds.
2. If you are recording in a small room, choose egg crate foam because it does well at reducing sound in a smaller space.
3. Select egg crate foam if you are experiencing an echo-related issue. Egg crate foam is great for echo noise reduction.
4. If you need something fast, cheap, and do not care about how it looks, choose egg crate foam. This foam is easily accessible, not very attractive, and extremely affordable.

When to use pyramid foam:

1. If you have a recording studio, select pyramid foam as it is best for these types of spaces.
2. If you are producing audio and do not want the outer sound to reflect and mix with the audio, choose pyramid foam because it does an excellent job at absorbing sound and keeping it from intertwining with the audio.
3. If bass-related sounds are your issue, select pyramid foam as this type of foam works well for bass-related issues.
4. Choose pyramid foam if you are willing to spend more money, would like your soundproofing room to look more appealing, and need a thicker material that can reduce more sound.

Useful Resources:

• A beginner’s guide to acoustic treatment
• Soundproofing vs sound treatment
• Science of absorption
• How to use the noise reduction rating (NRR)
• The best cheap bass traps
• How to soundproof a room with egg cartons

Final Thoughts

I hope this article helped guide you in making the decision of whether to use egg crate foam or pyramid foam to soundproof your room.

While there are a variety of different solutions to soundproofing, these two are the most debatable and easiest to install. Both have their own unique ways of helping reduce and minimize specific sounds that may travel into your recording space.

At the end of the day, it’s up to you to decide which one you think would work best for you and your needs. Regardless, they are both quick, easy ways to begin soundproofing your room.