Sound Absorbing Wall Art: What Works and What Size

Wall art absorbs sound only when the art itself is the absorber. A framed canvas or a poster under glass has a closed face, so it sends most of the voice range back into the room, as the wall behind it would. A printed acoustic panel absorbs through its flat fabric front. On sculpted felt, the face you see is the absorber, and its relief puts more felt in the sound's way. Above a sofa, a three-panel Massform set takes 1700 to 1800 mm of wall (about 67 to 71 in) and stands 950 mm (about 37.4 in) high.

A canvas print is very good at being a picture. Acoustically, it is more wall.

Does wall art absorb sound?

Acoustically, wall art comes in three kinds.

Canvas prints and framed posters. Sound cannot get into a closed face, so most of it bounces off. A print changes how a wall looks, not how it sounds.
Printed acoustic panels. A standard absorber with a picture on it: a flat core wrapped in printed fabric. On a typical one the edges are wood under the fabric, so the front is the only surface that absorbs.
Sculpted felt. On a Massform set there is no fabric cover. The face is dense polyester acoustic felt, and the felt is what absorbs. Felt holds a shape, so the sides of every ridge, step and groove face the room too.

Three kinds of wall art hang side by side on one wall in 3D, with numbered markers 1 to 5. On the framed canvas print, ink arrows arrive and red arrows bounce back off its closed face. On the printed acoustic panel, cut open at a corner to show its core and wood edge, the arrows stop at the green-outlined printed fabric front. On the sculpted Sandstone felt, the arrows stop across the whole face, and the lip of every ridge is traced in green. — Where the sound goes: a canvas print sends most of it back, a printed panel absorbs through its front, and sculpted felt through its whole exposed face.

Acoustic panels that look like art: each set, and how we know

Every Massform art set is three panels of 950 x 550 mm. Beside each is its NRC, one number for how much sound a surface absorbs across the voice range. A figure above 1 is a normal result of the reverberation-room test behind NRC, because sound also reaches a panel's edges. Where there are two numbers, the first is the set alone, the second with a Basstrap behind each panel. "Lab-tested" means an independent laboratory measured it to ASTM C423-22: National Taiwan Ocean University tested Wave, and National Taiwan University a mixed assembly of 18 Art Series panels mounted directly on the surface. "Estimated" means the figure is not a test of that set, and we say where it comes from.

Wave, in Sandstone or Silver Nimbus: the movement of water, sculpted in felt. NRC 0.95 without / 1.15 with Basstrap, both lab-tested at National Taiwan Ocean University.
Thresholds (arches and endlessly repeating patterns), Sonic Flow (spiraling ramps and flowing facades), Modular Systems (stacked units, structure on the outside), Glen Canyon (river-cut contours) and Grand Canyon (stepped layers of rock) carry the Art Series pair.
The Art Series pair: NRC 0.80 without / 1.00 with Basstrap. The 0.80 is lab-tested; the 1.00 is estimated, a calculation rather than a test.
Color Field: soft blocks of layered felt in the spirit of color-field painting. NRC 1.15 without / 1.25 with Basstrap, both estimated, carried over from Massform's figures for the Basstrap panel.
Moogdulation: a modular synthesizer in sculpted felt, patch cables included. NRC 1.15, estimated: it has no measurement of its own and borrows Color Field's figure. It belongs to the Basstrap's construction family, so it takes none behind it.

Three Color Field panels in blue, orange, red and black felt hang in a row above a bed with a gray upholstered headboard, beside a paper floor lamp. — Color Field above a bed: soft blocks of layered felt in the spirit of color-field painting.

Of any absorption number, ours included, ask three things: what was tested, where, and mounted how. The Compare page sets the curves side by side, and the full range is in the Art Series collection.

Do 3D acoustic panels work?

When the shape is made of the absorber, yes: it puts more felt where sound can reach it. Massform says sculptural rather than 3D; the question is the same, and the useful answer is about surface area.

We measured it from our 3D models: for each square meter of wall a panel covers, how much felt has an open path to the room.

A typical flat, fabric-wrapped panel: 1.0 m², the front only.
Surge Pro: 1.75 m². Its lifted layers expose about 70% more felt.
Cymbals Pro: 3.7 m². The tilted discs expose faces, edges and undersides: more than three and a half times the felt.
Rhythm Pro: 4.5 to 5.2 m², by slat pattern. Sound reaches both sides of every slat: more than four times the felt.

Close-up of the corner of a Rhythm Pro panel, showing a row of upright felt slats standing out from a dark frame. — Rhythm Pro up close. Sound reaches both sides of every felt slat.

Surface is not absorption, though. A flat 50 mm panel already absorbs nearly everything in the highs, so the extra felt counts most in the mids. The measured figures are the ones to compare.

Surge Pro is NRC 0.95 without / 1.15 with Basstrap, from the same National Taiwan Ocean University test. Rhythm Pro is 0.85 / 1.00 and Cymbals Pro 1.35 / 1.50, measured in Massform's own room with REW and calibrated against that lab test, their Basstrap figures calculated rather than measured. We have not counted the surface of the art sets yet.

Large wall art above a sofa: what size is a three-panel set?

A finished set takes 1700 to 1800 mm of wall (about 67 to 71 in), depending on gaps of 25 to 75 mm (about 1 to 3 in), and stands 950 mm high.

Front-view drawing of a three-panel set centered above a sofa: 1700 to 1800 mm wide, 950 mm high, with gaps of 25 to 75 mm between the panels, and four tips for hanging it. — Every set is three panels of 950 x 550 mm: 1700 to 1800 mm wide with its gaps, 950 mm high, centered on the sofa.

Measure the sofa first. Art over a sofa looks settled when it is a little narrower, so the sofa frames it. If the two are close in width, keep the gaps tight.
Center it on the sofa, not the wall. The sofa is what your eye reads it against.
Hang it close. High enough that nobody leaning back touches the felt, low enough that set and sofa read as one group.
Choose the gap for the look. Tight gaps read as one piece; wide gaps read as three.

Three Glen Canyon panels in gray felt with a winding dark red river hang just above a navy sofa with cushions, a guitar and a small synthesizer. — Glen Canyon above a sofa, hung close so the set and the sofa read as one group.

Each panel hangs from a hook on its top rail, on screws and drywall anchors or from a picture rail, both shown in the installation guide on each Art Series product page. Before you drill, draw the room in Plan in 3D, put the sofa where it really is, and drag a set above it.

Acoustic wall art for a living room: what it does to the echo

Picture a sofa along the long wall, a TV opposite, a wood floor and a large window. Voices bounce between the hard surfaces and the room rings. A set above the sofa absorbs what would have bounced off that part of the wall; whether one set is enough depends on the size of the room and how hard its other surfaces are.

Three Grand Canyon panels in pale felt with a dark red canyon running through them hang above a glass sideboard with books and a record player, with a leather lounge chair in the foreground. — Grand Canyon in a living room: stepped layers of rock, sculpted in felt.

In Hear your room, the example living room takes four Wave sets to bring its echo time in the voice range from about 1.7 seconds to about 0.7. That is an estimate from a model, not a measurement of your room. We checked the model in our own studio: from the empty room as measured, it predicted the room with panels within 8% in every octave from 250 Hz to 4 kHz. Enter your own room and the page says how many sets it needs, then plays it before and after. The realistic plan: one set as the centerpiece, then more on other walls if the room needs them.

What acoustic wall art cannot do

Block noise. Panels absorb sound already in the room; they do not stop it coming through a wall. Keeping a neighbor's noise out is construction: seal the gaps, add mass. Felt on your side of the wall will make your room sound better while you listen to the drummer next door. Absorption and soundproofing, explained.
Deep bass. Below about 150 Hz these panels do little, even with a Basstrap: National Taiwan Ocean University measured Wave at 0.08 at 125 Hz alone and 0.25 with one. What the Basstrap does is pull strong absorption lower: with it, Wave's absorption coefficient reaches 1.0 at 200 Hz instead of 500 Hz. The deepest bass needs real depth, usually in the corners.

Estimated rather than tested: Color Field, Moogdulation, and the Art Series with a Basstrap. Each of those figures is labeled where it appears.

Are acoustic panels still in style?

Panels date when they look like equipment: gray squares bought for a number and put up with. Art dates only when you stop wanting to look at it. So choose a shape you will still want to see long after you have stopped thinking about the echo. Relief also changes as the light moves across it during the day. On sculpted felt the shape is the absorber, so the look and the absorption are one decision, not a trade.

Two Thresholds panels in sand-colored felt, with arches, stairs and small black dog figures in relief, lean against a wooden wall in sunlight with leaf shadows across them. — Thresholds in Sandstone. Its arches and steps throw shadows that change as the light moves.

FAQ

Do acoustic art panels actually work, or are they just decoration?

They work when the art is the absorbing material: printed fabric through its front, sculpted felt through its whole exposed face. A canvas print does not. Ask how any figure was obtained; more in Do acoustic panels work?

What size wall art should go above a sofa?

A little narrower than the sofa, centered on it. A Massform set is 1700 to 1800 mm wide (about 67 to 71 in): measure your sofa and compare, or try it in Plan in 3D.

How many acoustic art panels does a living room need?

It depends on the room's size and surfaces. Hear your room's example living room needs four Wave sets, by estimate; enter your own room for your number.

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Fantastic little totebag with a touch of creativity

Some bags look good only when putting down, but the Rothko Tote surely looks great on my back! Not only was it versatile for everyday commute, it is sleek, stealth and stylish, well-suited for most attires dressing up or down. The tote is PACKED with compartments and I like how everything can just sits nicely in their own designated place without dangling. The only thing I would add is a little pen pouch but I guess given the circumstances it might seem obsolete. The bag is not expandable and has a relatively slim silhouette so don't expect to put on a truckload, but if you're looking for a nimble EDC bag paired with a artistic flair, I would 10/10 recommend the Rothko Tote.

Form and Function meet for beautiful panels

Not only are these panels beautiful works of art, their function as absorber/diffuser is top notch. Using in my audio room, the sound is much better with the Massform panels, than my previous panels.

Love them

These are perfect if you’re looking for acoustic panel to bring down sound reverberation and also look cool. I love the quality of these panels. The metal frame makes it very classy and unique. I haven’t installed them on the wall of my game room yet but I can feel the difference already. Packaging was also very professional; drywall anchors and screws were included in the box.

Well Designed and Wife Approved

Anesthetically, the panels are well designed. My wife loves them, although she wasn't much help in choosing the design. The 3 panel application really fits our living living room layout.I hope they provide dimensions that better accommodate a complete wall application down the line

Nice metal frame, beautiful and functional acoustic panels that double as art.

These are awesome panels! With the solid well-built metal frame, they do have a slight weight to them but more of a solid feel than bulky. The panels were all symmetrical and look even lined up on the wall. As far as performance, they do a great job and have comparable results to a 2'x4' owens corning trap. I lined these up along a window frame to cover up the window and to quiet some of the traffic noise and there is actually a significant difference with them installed. Of course the room is already treated, but these not only became the centerpiece, they also helped focus the sweet spot in the room where the vocalist stands. They have become a conversation piece as well. Some people ask if it's just art and I explain to them that it is designed after famous architecture and show them the pictures in comparison. It really does change the point of view and how you look at them. I really do love that they are functional art. It's up to you if you find the price worth it, but I do love how they tie the room together, make for an interesting look, and really help lower the noise floor in the room. I have built regular panels for significantly less, but they weren't as creative, didn't have a metal frame, and definitely weren't expertly cut into a piece of art! The only reason I took off one star was one of the panels actually had pieces of the design loose and floating around in the box. It had become unglued. For the price, I was expecting a panel that would stay together a little better. Nonetheless, I'm very happy with them and a little hot glue fixed it right up as it was obvious where the pieces went.

Sound Absorbing Wall Art: Which Kind Works, and What Size to Buy