Improving acoustics at home

Why improving acoustics is important
Bad acoustics in a class room, living room or office is caused by the lack of soft materials and surfaces, such as carpeting, curtains and furniture. Sound keeps bouncing and reflecting from those surfaces, windows, hard and smooth walls, floors and ceilings. Poor acoustics will eventually cause health issues due to high stress levels and lack of concentration, maybe not at home perse, but it will at work. Gym teachers for example experience bad acoustics on a daily basis and have a higher sick leave than other co-workers in education.

Improve acoustics for better health, more pleasurable stay in a room, higher level of concentration in class room and office and more productivity on the work floor. Good acoustics works!

How to improve acoustics?
To improve room acoustics in any space is to balance out sound reflecting surfaces with sound absorbing surfaces, we call the latter ‘acoustic panels’. Acoustic panels are made of materials developed or adapted to neutralize noise by absorbing it. The answers to the most common questions on how to improve acoustics are simpler than you might think:

Which product is best to improve acoustics?
Thick acoustic panels and products absorb the most frequencies and are therefor the most efficient.

How many acoustic panels to improve acoustics?
The rule of thumb: if a room is has a floor of 100 m² (1080 sq ft) you need to add at least 30 m² of sound absorbing product / panels. In places such as restaurants, pubs and offices this might go up to 60 m². More people equals more sound, equals more acoustic paneling.

Where should I place these acoustic materials and panels?
On walls and ceiling, these are the spots where sound will reflect from. Do NOT mount any product underneath a table, this is not a sound reflecting surface.

Tips
On our tips page you will find extensive articles that go into more detail about solving bad acoustics.

General explanation about reverberation: Tired of Reverberation?
Focused on the home: Reverb in the Home.

Products that are suitable for improving acoustics in your home

How to improve acoustics in your home