Upgrading your car stereo is always a very good idea. But the thing you have to keep in mind is that you always need to focus on quality and value more than anything else.
Sound deadening, in particular, is one of the things that you always have to consider. And it can do wonders for you as long as you opt for the right approach.
That being said, there are lots of sound deadening materials that you can opt for. The Dynamat is the best but it is expensive. Among the affordable options, the following three stand out:-
- Fatmat Self-Adhesive RattleTrap Sound Deadener (check current price)
- Second Skin Damplifier Butyl Rubber Sound Deadener (check current price)
- GTmat Pro Automotive Audio Sound Deadener (check current price)
All of them add up to bring in front a nice set of benefits. In this post, we compare the Fatmat vs the Second Skin vs the GTmat.
Which one is the better sound deadener? The second skin is the best of the three but also more expensive. The Fatmat would be the most valuable option, if not the best. Here are some of the things to focus on.
Fatmat
For a lot of people sound deadening doesn’t really matter.
They don’t listen to their car’s stereo at crazy volumes, so it makes a lot of sense for them to approach stuff like this with a true focus on quality and on a good experience.
The thing you have to consider when it comes to fatmat is that it’s not expensive at all. In fact, it’s affordable and a lot of people use it for that reason alone.
But as you can imagine, the price difference comes from something. The overall value is not that great, especially when you compare it to Dynamat for example. Read my post about the Dynamat being the best sound deadener.
But why is this not the best option, yet the most affordable one? It mostly comes from the materials that they use for it. This is asphalt based. Which is good because it offers quite a good density.
But the problem is that asphalt isn’t the very best sound deadening material out there.
Sure, it does a good job either way and in the end, it can still do wonders for you most of the time. Yet you really have to adjust and adapt all of this in a meaningful way. Which is a very good idea either way, no matter how you approach it.
Then there’s the fact that it has a freshly paved road smell, which is why something like this does not work in the case of rooms with a high temperature.
The problem is that once you use a computer or two in a room, the temperature can be pretty hot. And the last thing you want is to feel that asphalt smell.
The bottom line is that this is not a good option if you have lots of computers in a room or if you live in a hot climate. But it can work quite nicely if you live in a colder area.
Sure, it may not be the ultimate option for stuff like this, yet it still works. It all comes down to adjusting and adapting it to suit your needs.
Second Skin
While the name of this product is a bit strange, it does provide you with a very good sound deadening experience.
The thing that makes it stand out quite a lot is the fact that it’s created from butyl rubber and the foil thickness is not bad at all to begin with.
In addition, this is a lot better when compared to asphalt mats and tar boards, just because it’s super reliable and it can bring in front all the benefits that you may need.
Since second skin models are designed to last for a very long time, they can bring in front a tremendous amount of benefits. And unlike fatmat, this will not smell at all.
But maybe the best thing about all of this is that the unit can withstand a lot of pressure and you can easily push it or even try to pierce it without success.
Yet it’s the extraordinary sound deadening benefit that works here. You will never have to worry about other people listening to the stuff you sing or jam out during your practice sessions.
It’s fast, efficient and it really helps you enjoy life and explore all the tunes you want without that much of a hassle.
Another thing to keep in mind is the overall melting point. This material is very durable, it has a thermal range of -60 Celsius to 232 degrees Celsius. This means it can easily withstand any normal temperatures without a problem.
Even if it’s insanely hot in a room and well over 150 degrees, the second skin will remain intact and it will offer you the sound deadening benefits that you want.
It’s something that you can rarely see nowadays, which is why you may want to check it out for yourself and see how it works.
GTmat
The reason why a lot of people use GTmat is that it offers the sound protection that your car needs in no time.
The product adheres to any surface without any problem, and that can be seen as a massive benefit in this perspective.
It’s definitely going to pay off a lot and at the same time it’s also important to note that the quality you can get from stuff like this will be incredible all the time.
The recommended room temperature for this is around 10 to 50 degrees Celsius. That means the room needs to have some sort of energy source, otherwise there will be some issues here and there.
The focus has to be on value and quality as much as possible, and once you do that you will notice that the outcome can be second to none all the time.
Moreover, this is one of the toughest sound dampeners out there. Even if you try to pierce it, you will have to endure quite a lot of tasks and it’s the type of thing that you can rarely encounter and process the way you want to.
Despite all of that, installing GTmat is very easy and the instructions you receive are pretty much straightforward. That being said, since the product is very adhesive, it can be quite challenging to figure out how to use it adequately.
This is why you have to adjust and adapt it to your needs, and once you do that the outcome can be more than ok no matter the situation.
Fatmat vs Second Skin vs Gtmat – Which is the Best Sound Deadener?
Each one of these materials has a benefit on its own.
Fatmat
Fatmat example may have a strange smell, but it’s super cheap and you can get it for immediate sound proofing.
Yet your car can have a bad smell, so you really have to take into account both the good and bad things when it comes to stuff like this.
Second Skin
Second skin is a very good material and it can withstand a lot of pressure, which in the end is a very good thing for sure.
What you will like about it is that there won’t be any temperature problems with it, so you can buy with confidence.
GTmat
And then there’s GTmat which is basically somewhere in the middle of the aforementioned two.
But in the end, it’s up to you to figure out the amount you want to pay and what benefits you expect from stuff like this. For the most part, the value is extremely good and you will be quite impressed with the outcome.
However, you need to come in with the right expectations regardless of what product you use. They can still get the job done in regards to sound deadening, only at different levels and with distinct benefits!
Thanks for reading! Also check out my post on Best sound deadeners for vehicles