I wanted to share some first experiences with it which might come in handy for anyone who like me is doing a lot of research on the web regarding the best possible choice.
Unboxing and Assembly
The cabin got delivered on a 580kg pallet:
We were 2 people to unbox the pallet, move all the pieces into the apartment and do the assembly itself. It took us about 5-6 hours in total. The heaviest piece is the window, where even the two of us together couldn't carry it for very far. One really should be 2 strong people for the whole process.
The first step is to place the shock-absorbing foot pieces on the ground. This needs to be planned well, as the cabin is too heavy to be moved later on! Keep in mind power outlets on the wall and that a ventilation system as well as an electrical cable needs to be connected on the outside.
The assembly of the lower half is more or less straightforward. The manual is rather concise and has a few English quirks, but we got through it without much trouble.
The hole for the electrical cables:
The ventilation system:
The ventilation system is very quiet, almost inaudible on the inside. On the outside it can be heard but it is not loud by any measure.
By the way, I had a look inside that ventilation box -- it is essentially something that looks like a hairdryer in a sound-insulating environment. No need to open it, though :)
A detail from the inside (the middle part of the box which connects the upper and the lower half):
The lights can be simply screwed into the ceiling on any side of the cabin.
How Does it Feel Inside?
One would think that 1m2 is very tight, but it actually feels larger than what I expected. I do not feel very constrained while playing my alto saxophone inside. There is enough space for a chair and a stand.
It does sound pretty loud inside. And naturally, dry.
I was initially worried that I wouldn't get a WiFi signal because the cabin might contain a metal layer, but this turned out to be a non-issue and saved me from connecting a LAN cable.
How is the Isolation?
With a simple Android app called SoundMeter I'm measuring about 30-35dB attenuation for normal frequencies. This is a bit less than the advertised 40-45dB, but (a) it could be measurement error and (b) I didn't do any optimization e.g. of the door placement. One definitely hears the playing on the outside, and vice versa. The human ear is very sensitive. But the isolation is good and certainly enough for my purposes. My wife and kids won't hear a thing in their bedrooms. Neither will my neighbors. I can picture my family watching TV on the outside while I'm rehearsing inside, and while it would be mutually audible I think it'd be fine.
The Weight - Is it OK?
For a long time I was very worried that the combined weight of the cabin and me would be too much for the floor. I'm not obese, but is it OK to have a combined weight of ~550kg distributed onto a mere ~1.8 square meters?
In Switzerland, the standard spec for apartment floors in new construction is 200kg/m2. I got in touch with the structural engineer that built our apartment, and he told me that this spec is laid out for putting that much weight on the entire apartment floor - exceeding this spec locally is not a problem. Also, there is a 50% or so safety margin on it.
However, on top of the concrete there is a layer that contains the floor heating, some heat insulation material, a footstep shock absorber and on top of all of that a second floor made out of gypsum. (On top of that the hardwood floor is glued.) According to the manufacturer, that floor also has a spec of 200-300kg/m2. So I'm exceeding that as well. However, the worst that can happen according to the specialist is that some cracks start to form. A few decades from now, if someone would remove the current hardwood floor, one would discover such cracks anyway and it wouldn't be a big deal filling them.
In addition, the hardwood floor apparently has some elasticity that distributes the weight to the sides. The risk of the floor just collapsing and damaging the heat pipes would only exist when putting significantly more weight on it (on the order of a ton).
So I decided to take my chances, and so far everything has held up just fine....
Demvox vs Other Manufacturers
The Eco100 was by far the cheapest model of its kind that I could find on the net. Whisperroom has a similar price point, but shipping from the US to Switzerland prohibitively expensive compared to shipping from Spain ($2300 vs $500).
I paid ~$400 import and import declaration tax.
I find the cabins of other manufacturers like Studiobricks to be more stylish. They are also more than twice as expensive and even heavier. The quality of Demvox is good, though -- it doesn't feel cheap, the pieces fit well with each other and the exterior can be tweaked with a poster and some postcards. Specs of other manufacturers don't appear to provide much improvement in terms of isolation.
Expensive Cabin or Do-It-Yourself?
My job luckily pays well so I didn't need to optimize aggressively my spending, but these cabins do cost a lot. A Do-It-Yourself option might be even cheaper, but be aware that you'll need to solve at least these problems:
- Building something without acoustic leaks.
- Lighting
- Ventilation
Having looked at a few materials, my thinking is that getting all the right materials and bulding equipment will only be a little cheaper while it is much, much more hassle and at risk of not providing the desired insulation.
