SoundSkins vs. Dynamat – Which one is the better sound deadener
High vehicle noise levels cause driver fatigue and irritation and affect the way music sounds out of your speakers.
As far as sound deadening material goes, SoundSkins and Dynamat are amongst the leading suppliers of quality products. I’ve done some research on both SoundSkins and Dynamat, and in my humble opinion, they’re both equally great products. Depending on what you plan on using them for, you may want to read this article to make the best-informed decision.
Summary
Dynamat offers a greater product range which gives you flexibility and allows you to budget better and reduce wastage. They’ve also been around much longer than SoundSkins, giving them the advantage of experience. SoundSkins is a slightly more affordable option with an aesthetically appealing matt finish.
When you choose Dynamat, you know you’re getting one of the best products on the market. It’s no wonder that so many prominent auto re-builders use it. Once done, you’re not going to need to touch up or maintain it, so it’s smart to value it as a return on your investment over, say, 10 years.
Once you know what coverage you need is, you can use the graph below to determine which pack will cover you. Use the “Thickness” column to gauge the quality of the product. Although it is a marginal difference, non-existent to the ear, the thicker material is more effective.
*Prices may vary by supplier. Click on product links below to see updated listings.
Aside from SoundSkins Lite, all these products have the same general make-up. That is a foil layer on top of an acoustic foam layer and a butyl layer to peel and stick. The Lite doesn’t have the foil layer. The door and trunk kits can be used anywhere in your vehicle and are not in any way different from the bulk packs.
Read on to see the specifics of the products that suit your project in size and price.
You should check your car’s manual first. For around $20, you can find a detailed version. The easiest way to find the hard copy repair manual for your vehicle is to select Repair Manuals by Make and Model. Or you can get an electronic version. They both have all sorts of instructions and guides, whether it’s for customization, maintenance, repair, or even simply just learning about the inner workings of a particular vehicle.
Use a roller and tape to ensure a clean professional finish.
I’ve documented a brief review of each of these companies and listed some of their key features and products on offer below.
Table of Contents
SoundSkins review
This is a company that was established in 2015. Being a fairly new company, the information is hard to find, but they have a very professional outfit. Their sound-deadening equipment reduces outside road noise and improves your vehicle’s acoustics.
They use quality foam and butyl, which are both waterproof, heatproof, and long-lasting. It’s coated with a high-quality adhesive which you’ll need to keep the fit lasting once you’ve applied the material properly.
SoundSkins Key Features:
Maximized noise absorption.
An acoustic foam layer on top of the standard butyl & foil design.
Denser foam to block more outside noise while eliminating echo and vibrations.
Easy installation & a clean finish. Large single piece application makes installation simple.
High strength commercial grade adhesive with Waxed backing paper.
Thinner foam to allow panels and trims to sit better.
Primarily used for lining the inner skins of doors, floors, and interior panels, SoundSkins reduces vibrations, improves sound & blocks out road noise. Their lite design uses no foil to hold the rubber butyl together, making it easily pliable when laying over any surface. SoundSkins Lite is a trimmed-down sound deadening material that still delivers.
SoundSkins Pro review
The key difference between the two offers is that Pro products have an extra layer of foil. SoundSkins Pro includes this additional layer of foil along with the foam and Butyl. The combination further reduces vibration and deadens sound. The foil enhances the product’s sound-blocking capabilities giving you an even quieter ride.
This extra foam layer also provides an element of thermal insulation. Although this technology is not unique to Sounskins, it helps control your spending. If heat rejection is not required on your project, you can save up to 15% by opting for the lite option.
Both are used for lining the inner skins of doors, floors, and interior panels to reduce vibrations, improve sound & block out road noise. To see how to install SoundSkins, I’ve documented an easy-to-follow guide.
The SoundSkins Door Kit is a compact deadening material. 2 sheets cover 2 doors or around 11 sq ft. Each sheet measures 39.5”x19″ and is usually sufficient for covering a regular-sized sedan door. This rectangular sheet can be used anywhere in the vehicle, not only on your vehicle’s door.
Pro (Extra foil) $98
Lite $74
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SoundSkins Mega Kit (Covers 4 doors, 44 sq ft.)
A SoundSkins Mega Kit consists of 8 sheets that measure a total of 44 sq ft. As with the door kit, each sheet measures 39.5”x19″ and can be used on any part of your vehicle.
Pro (Extra foil) $298
Lite $248
SoundSkins Rings (4x Speaker Multi-Size Kit includes 6x 27” stripes an inch in thickness and 4 backing sheets)
SoundSkins Rings are designed to make aftermarket speaker installs perform to perfection with lossless sound. SoundSkins Rings seal your speakers against the mounting plates and interior door panels. Directing the sound into the cabin and reducing sound lost indoor cavities. The new v3 Rings will fit ANY size speaker in the one kit from 6×9″ down to 1″.
This is a unique ring kit that suits all the components of your speakers in one application. Cover your driver, mid, and tweeter with the one kit, front, and back. SoundSkins are stackable to give you more depth. They can be applied to the speaker’s face, around the speaker edge, behind mounting plates or even mounted to the interior panels themselves—a truly versatile kit.
The cut-and-join installation process requires minimal effort. The ease of installation makes this product very appealing. Waterproof design using closed-cell foam (rubber butyl combo) results in extended life of the product.
Dynamat review
Dynamic Control of North America, Inc. is a privately held corporation located in Hamilton, Ohio, USA. Established in 1989, the company markets acoustic environmental solutions for a broad range of industries.
Consumers around the world recognize Dynamat as a quality product for solutions to unwanted noise and vibration. The Dynamat brand maintains the dominant market share in Car Audio and Automotive Restoration acoustic solutions. Dynamic Control also provides a broad range of unique product solutions for home acoustics, computers, appliances, and Original Equipment Manufacturers.
Their operations cover the United States of America, serving over 3,000 storefronts. Dynamat is merchandised and promoted in large retailers such as Best Buy, Pep Boys’ most large regional Audio Retailers, and Independent Specialty Car Audio Retailers. Internationally, their products are represented in over 50 countries.
Its fire-retardant and will stand the test of time.
Easy installation
Can be used for multiple purposes
Offers a variety of products
It’s an industry standard and most professional places will be able to apply it for you
Improves rigidity
Dynamat Xtreme Review
Their most popular product is Dynamat Xtreme, a thin, super sticky butyl rubber bonded to an aluminum alloy skin. It is formulated with Vector™ Chemistry and makes Dynamat Xtreme the most effective sound control material available.
Dynamat Xtreme is straightforward to cut and install. I’ve detailed the process with some do’s and don’ts; click here to read. The butyl rubber and heavy aluminum will stretch and contour better than any other product on the market without tearing. It will conform easily to all interior surfaces. The sticky butyl rubber will adhere to a surface and stay in place without any special surface prep without leaving any odor or dripping material.
The thin butyl rubber layer is bonded to a gleaming blue, 2 mils thick aluminum alloy. As CLDs work better the thicker they are, Dynamat SuperLite is not as effective a sound damper as Dynamat Xtreme. However, using patented VECTOR™ Chemistry, SuperLite is still able to outperform other brands of damping material.
SuperLite is offered in the following pack sizes:-
BULK PAK 48 sq.ft. 12 shts 18″ x 32″ (4.5 sq. meters)
Dynamat specialty products
Dynamat offers Thermal insulation products. However, Dynamat Xtreme and Superlite will give you some heat protection. It won’t be much, though. DynaLiner, in particular, is one such product that has three thickness options to choose from. This single-layered liner is an effective insulator.
DynaPad further enhances your already soundproofed treatment. This 4-layered product is also effective at blocking out heat. It also solves two of the most difficult automotive problems: exhaust system heat and low-frequency noise. For your car’s engine, there is Hoodliner. It protects your paint job, and a reinforced aluminum skin further enhances thermal protection. It’s also 3/4” thick with a pressure-sensitive adhesive.
There are many different suppliers of Dynamat; however, occasionally, you may find counterfeit merchandise. Use the product links below for genuine products and to get updated prices.
Dynamat Xtreme for rear decks, doors, floors and trunk floors, trunk lids, roofs, quarter panels, and under-hood installations. Dynamat extreme works as an all-around application. This makes it ideal as a door kit, floor kit, etc.
Dynamat Xtreme is the highest efficiency sound damping material available and the most effective product for stopping noise and vibration in your automobile. With Dynamat Xtreme installed, road noise becomes silent energy. The effect this has on your sound system is phenomenal. Your music sounds clearer, your bass is louder and tighter, and your stereo can sound twice as loud.
The Hex Pak contains 4 square feet of Dynamat Xtreme. It is perfect if you need a little bit of extra on-hand for your installation. The kit contains one 18″ x 32″ piece of self-adhesive Dynamat Xtreme for general use on rear decks, doors, floors, and the trunk floors. Dynamat Xtreme is also recommended for trunk lids, roofs, quarter panels, and under-hood installations.
Since much of the noise that comes from the road enters through the doors, installing the Dynamat Xtreme Door Kit creates a sonic barrier that converts noise-causing vibration into silent energy. By reducing the road noise, the Dynamat Xtreme Door Kit can increase the dynamic range of the sounds in your car, which can effectively double your vehicle’s amplifying power! You get louder sounds from your car’s audio and less annoying noise from outside your vehicle.
Today’s powerful subwoofers cause a vehicle’s trunk to flex and vibrate, which creates bass distortion, a reduction in maximum bass output, and poor sound quality. Some people may find trunk rattles cool, but it is actually just bad bass. If you really want to impress, install the Dynamat Xtreme Trunk Kit.
Applying Dynamat to the panels surrounding your speakers eliminates speaker panel distortion by transforming the flimsy sheet metal into a solid non-resonant baffle. Dynamat improves mid-bass performance and stops vibration rattles and squeaks. Your stereo will sound it’s very best with Dynamat.
The Dynamat Xtreme License Plate Kit addition makes your car sound solid on the outside as it feels on the inside. It stops license plate rattles and noise. A new Dynamat license plate frame is included in the Dynamat Xtreme License Plate Kit.
Dynamat SuperLite can be used for full coverage on your vehicle’s interior or just in problem areas of high sound resonation. It does not require any special equipment, so it is effortless to cut and install. It will conform easily to all interior surfaces, and the sticky butyl rubber will adhere and stay in place without any special surface prep.
Dynaliner (Single sheet of 32″ X54″ for floor, roof, hood, and doors)
Dynaliner is the perfect lightweight insulator to use on top of Dynamat. This durable, crush and tear-resistant material have the highest heat blocking properties available in a single-layer material. Dynaliner isn’t affected by oil and does not absorb water. Dynaliner provides acoustic isolation and excellent thermal insulation for roof, firewall, floor, quarter panels, doors, and even under your hood. For best results, install Dynaliner over Dynamat.
Durable CELL BLOCK technology locks out oil and water for long-lasting performance.
DynaPad is a heavy-duty composite barrier providing maximum acoustical attenuation and excellent thermal insulation. DynaPad utilizes “Dissimilar Layer Insulating” technology that solves two of the most difficult automotive problems; exhaust system heat and low-frequency noise. Easy to install, DynaPad can be used in place of a carpet pad and is oil and water-resistant. Use DynaPad on the floor, interior firewall, rear deck, and trunk for cool, quiet comfort. For optimal results, apply DynaPad over Dynamat.
DynaPad has 4 layers
Heat-Sealed, Urethane Moisture Barrier
High-Efficiency Sound Soaker
Decoupling Foam High-Efficiency Sound Soaker
Decoupling Foam Heavy Duty Dynil Noise And Heat Barrier
The Hoodliner protects your hood’s paint and reduces irritating noise. Use The Hoodliner as an automotive engine compartment treatment and other applications that can benefit from heat-resistant acoustic barriers. The Hoodliner is made from 3/4” acoustic sound soaker foam with a reinforced, reflective aluminized skin that is cleanable and oil and water-resistant. The Hoodliner has a high-tack pressure-sensitive adhesive for easy peel-and-stick application. I’ve completed a comprehensive review here.
I’ve detailed the application process for sound-deadening materials. If you’ve already decided on where you want to apply it see my comprehensive guidelines for
If you’re not sure where to start, I strongly recommend you begin with the doors. From there, you can move on to the trunk.
What you’ll need
A panel removal tool kit is required for the panel pins. This is because they avoid breakage of the pins during the removal of them. It’s also useful for prying away the panels without doing damage to your vehicle’s paint job.
Aluminum tape is also needed. You can patch up the parts where there might be gaps left or use the tape to give your application a clean finish.
Wear a good pair of workman’s gloves while working with the material. The foil edges are sharp and cut through your skin. The glue is also best avoided.
You can use metal shears instead of scissors for products like Dynamat and others. You can also use a switchblade.
Use the correct seam sealer (if required) to avoid it setting and causing ripples on your trunk lid. In addition, the seam sealer should maintain some flex when dries.
You may want to get a set of additional Bumper Retainer Clips, just in case you damage some or if you find a few missing already.
Use a portable light system to make it easier for you to see.
On these other blogs, I’ve provided a guide to purchasing the right pack size for whatever project you plan on undertaking. The step-by-step guide walks you through the process, including application.
You should check your car’s manual first. For around $20, you can find a detailed version. The easiest way to find the hard copy repair manual for your vehicle is to select Repair Manuals by Make and Model. Or you can get an electronic version. They both have all sorts of instructions and guides, whether it’s for customization, maintenance, repair, or even simply just learning about the inner workings of a particular vehicle.
Conclusion
As I mentioned before, depending on your application requirements, either of these products will produce results. Dynamat offers a greater product range which gives you flexibility and allows you to budget better and reduce wastage. They’ve also been around much longer than SoundSkins, giving them the advantage of experience.
Good luck and happy soundproofing!
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