8 Ways Acoustic Wall Panels Will Make Your Room Better
Sound control doesn't have to be overwhelming. In fact, sound-absorbing products such as acoustic wall panels will solve most of the problems you’re going to experience in a room. Where a lot of the intimidation comes in is from the terminology used and not knowing exactly what you need in order to solve your sound problems. Too many people confuse soundproofing as the answer to all their sound control problems (read: Soundproofing vs. Sound Absorption for more information). Here's what acoustic wall panels can do:
1. Reduce Echo
Echo is a common problem in large rooms with high ceilings and hard surfaces, such as churches, art galleries, and gymnasiums. This can be a problem in your home setting, as well. Items in the room that can help absorb these sound waves (rugs, curtains, furniture) all contribute to stopping echo. When the decor of a room isn't enough to accomplish the job completely, acoustic sound panels can also be added to the walls, ceiling, and floors.
2. Reduce Reverberation
Reverberation is more subtle than an echo. Although it is the same principle — sound bouncing off of surfaces in the room to blend with original sound — you can't always distinguish just where the reverb sound starts. Instead, you just know the overall sound in the room is not quite right. Sound absorption panels work in this scenario helping to absorb that extraneous noise while making the room more comfortable acoustically.
3. Reduce Volume
This one is probably the most obvious when it comes to sound control, and what most people think of when you talk about soundproofing. When you want to keep sound from traveling in or out of a space, you use soundproofing. If you want to simply reduce the sound in a space — not eliminate it — then sound absorption will do the job.
However, what most don't know is that when you solve the clarity issue of sound, you often solve the volume issue as a byproduct. That's because when we can't hear something clearly we tend to increase the volume. But, if the real problem has to do with clarity, we only exasperate the problem — except now it’s louder. If we correct for clarity, we don’t need to increase the volume to begin with.
4. Reduce Background Noise
With all of the gadgets in today's wired world, it's not unheard of to have a lot of background noise in any given room of your home. The TV, stereo, video games, kids playing, dogs barking, furnace and air conditioner running: all of these noises can make it difficult to concentrate and focus.
Sound panels help dampen this extraneous noise, helping to create a more peaceful and stress-free environment without having to ask anyone to sacrifice their fun.
5. Improve Clarity
If background noise is from multiple noise sources in a room, clarity is about the single conversation in a room. You hear them talking but you can't quite understand what they are saying.
This is not only frustrating, but it's a missed opportunity for quality time with our friends and family. Improve the acoustics in the room and you improve the clarity of your conversations. By placing sound panels at the first points of reflection on the walls, before it hits your listener's ears, you help improve clarity.
6. Improve Sound Quality
If you love music and movies, then you probably appreciate, and expect, high-quality sound from the experience. Sometimes the best sound quality happens with a combination of soundproofing and sound absorption. By using both, you keep sound from leaving while improving the quality of the sound within the room.
7. Improve Aesthetics in a Room
When you hear the term 'acoustic sound panels', you might have a vision of those oatmeal-colored squares that you've seen in an office in the past. But today, acoustic sound panels come in endless colors, textures, and materials. Audimute's Sound Absorption Panels can even be customized with your own vacation photo or child's artwork. The sound panels go beyond just function and become a piece of treasured artwork.
8. Improve the Peacefulness of a Room
A quieter room can reduce agitation for everyone, but for those that are more sensitive to sound than others, room acoustics can make a big impact on their quality of life.
Kids, pets, and adults that are bothered by and overstimulated by noises are more peaceful and experience less stress in rooms that have good acoustics in place. And for those experiencing hearing loss as they age, proper room acoustics may feel like a "fountain of youth," helping them no longer feel they are struggling to hear the most basic of conversations.
When you identify your sound problem correctly, resolving it becomes that much easier, helping you to create more comfortable and inviting living spaces. For more information about Acoustic Panels and other sound control products please reference our Sound Control Resource Center here.