Suffering from reverberation? Find out how to solve it!

How reduce reverberation and improve the acoustics at home
Reverberation can turn a room at home or in the office into a cold and unsociable space. Poor room acoustics cause poor intelligibility, a loss of concentration, fatigue, and noise pollution in adjacent rooms or homes. A reverberation that is too long also makes the television and / or Hi-Fi set sound less qualitative. Applying sound absorption in a room ensures less reverberation, and thus a reduction in noise level and a "warmer" feeling in the room.

Flamex Edge to the ceiling in a kitchen

How much sound absorption do you need to apply?
Standard measures with regards to the amount of sound absorption material that should be applied don't exist. There is no such thing as an "ideal" situation, to a certain extent this depends on how you personally perceive the quality of the acoustics in the room in question.

A commonly used rule of thumb states that placing sound-absorbing materials in an amount that approximately equals 40 to 50% of the floor area results in a noticeable and pleasant difference. However, we recommend first adding an amount of sound-absorbing material equivalent to approximately 30% of the floor area. This should already lead to a considerable improvement. After that, more sound absorption can be added until the desired result is achieved.

How many acoustic panels for sufficient improvement
If you have a room of about 100 m², you can expect improvement when about 35 m² of absorption material is installed. The presence of a fabric sofa, rug, and curtains can also be included in your calculation. However, be aware that curtains only fulfil their acoustic function when they are closed. Only then will there be a reasonable amount of absorption surface, whereas open curtains hardly contribute to the reduction of reverberation. Therefore, it is very important to apply a sufficient amount of absorption material.

Where should you apply absorption material?
In the ideal situation, you should apply the sound absorption material spread over the room, if you suffer from a general noise problem. However, this is not always desirable from an aesthetic point of view.

Where exactly does the reverberation come from? Walk through your space while clapping in your hands. Cover at least a quarter of the wall with a sound-absorbing product, on those spots where you perceive the loudest reverberation. Work your way from this starting point to the rest of the room.

A spot in the living room where reverberation frequently occurs, is the sitting area where the TV or Hifi system is located. If the sofa is placed against an empty wall opposite the TV and/or speakers, sound reflects between these two walls. By covering a quarter of the wall behind the sofa with absorption panels, the sound experience will significantly improve. This principle also applies to a dining room where people almost always talk in the direction of a wall. By applying sound absorption materials this wall can be "switched off" with regards to sound reflection, making the acoustics in the room a lot more pleasant. Implementing the myth of "putting something under the table" has an extremely small effect. It is better to invest in a sound absorbing wall or wall-and-ceiling combination. Below you can see an image of sound absorption material (Flamex Basic) applied against the ceiling in a living room.

Flamex Basic installed against the ceiling in the living room

Some popular acoustic panels and products
Ceiling solution

• Flamex Basic
  Simple, but effective basic product, sufficient absorption values, hardly visible, competitively priced and easy to cut to size.
• Flamex Edge
  Sturdy foam panel with high absorption values, modern and sleek design, easy to assemble by yourself. Fireproof like all other Flamex products. Suitable for public areas. Can also be used as a wall solution.
• Akotherm SF
  Also a basic but very effective sound absorbing panel. Most acoustic panels can be used to mount to wall as well to the ceilling, this is also the case with Akotherm SF (smooth finish).
• Akotherm Edge

Questions? 
Do you have questions about improving rooms acoustics? Please feel free to contact us, we will be happy to answer your questions or send product sample.