A home theater, for many, is a sanctuary to escape from the stresses of everyday life and be transported into another world. The realism of the theater depends on both the acoustics and the lighting. Quality speakers properly placed with the correct wire and connections are important factors necessary for realistic sound. Lighting is also important where reflections are reduced to a minimum. Distracting lights and reflections can reduce the enjoyment of the home theater. [...]
Peace and quiet can be a piece of mind. Knowing that one room in the house can be loud and rambunctious, while the next room is the epitome of tranquility keeps everyone happy and less stress for you. How does one go about achieving such tranquility or reducing the noise that flows from one room to the next? While there are many products on the market to achieve this, one of the easier to use [...]
There are many myths and misconceptions that people have about room acoustics. Many aspects of acoustics are counterintuitive. Here’s a quick sampling of fast facts about room acoustics. dB (Decibel) is a term used to describe sound pressure level. An increase of 3dB in sound pressure level requires twice the power. Likewise, a drop of 3dB cuts the sound power in half. 3dB is the smallest amount of sound pressure change normal people can discern. RT60 (aka “reverberation time”) is [...]
What is NRC? NRC stands for Noise Reduction Coefficient and is a standard rating for how well a material absorbs sound. The NRC rating of a material can be viewed as a percentage. For example, an NRC of .75 means 75% of the sound energy that contacts that material is absorbed and is not reflected back into a room. Likewise, this same material can be considered to be only 25% reflective. NRC is often thought to be [...]
STC stands for ''Sound Transmission Class.'' This is a single-number rating that is used for comparing the acoustical isolation that different barrier materials can provide. Unfortunately, the process used to determine the ‘official’ STC of a material is a lot more complex than that single number might suggest. Just know that a material’s ability to block sound is measured at several frequencies in the middle range of human hearing, and some performance variation at different [...]
One of the most often overlooked surfaces for acoustic treatment in a room also happens to be the largest available surface . . . Just look up! One of the most popular ceiling treatments is done via acoustic ceiling tiles installed in a suspended ceiling grid. But how effective are these products? The answer depends greatly on the tile chosen, the room in question, and the sonic environment needed there. The most important thing to determine before [...]
To all of you North of the equator: Welcome to summer! Along with the weather of summer come many activities that are unique to this time of year (especially for Northerners where summers are short), such as motorcycle and convertible car trips, lawn care, amusement parks, outdoor concerts, and more. Unfortunately, these activities also often present overlooked opportunities for hearing damage. I’m not suggesting we spend the season wearing industrial-strength earmuffs every day; but who [...]
