Sound Masking vs. Sound Absorption: Improving Conference Room Acoustics

Research suggests that 95% of office workers experience audio problems in the workplace, costing them up to 30 minutes daily.

Add that up over a year – both productivity and the bottom line take a hit due to persistent audio issues in the workplace.

The sound heard in an auditorium by a listener is a complex combination of the sound produced by the technology and the way that it interacts with the room. It’s a fact that most of the sound heard by any listener gets there only after many, many interactions with the room’s surfaces.

So the technology certainly plays a role in sound, but to really improve the acoustics of any room in your office building, we have to look at the room itself. Our acoustic improvements fall into one of two categories: Sound Masking or Sound Absorption.

Sound Masking

• White Noise
• Soundproof Drywall
• Soundproof Curtains

Sound Absorption

• Acoustic Ceiling Tile
• Hanging Baffles
• Acoustic Partitions
• Acoustic Foam

To completely soundproof a meeting room and address both outside noise and distortion and reverberation inside the room, you’ll probably need a combination of sound masking and sound absorbing solutions.

Soundproofing products contain sound—such as hallway conversations—and prevent it from going other places such as into meeting rooms.

Sound absorption products trap the noise bouncing around your conference room and prevent it from creating echoes and reverberations that make speech difficult to hear and understand.