All Sound Masking is NOT Created Equal

A proper sound masking system must provide both privacy and comfort.

All sound masking companies have the ability to create speech privacy by producing a sound greater than the ambient background noise (around 47 decibels) and masking indirect speech.  So what is the most defining criteria when selecting a sound masking system?

The CONSUMABLE – what your clients are truly buying, the SOUND itself. Therefore, it is the quality of COMFORT that should weigh the most in the decision factors of a masking system.

Lencore’s Spectra i.Net® system defines the criteria that needs exist in order to generate a comfortable sound:

  • Full Broad Band Sound – the origin of the sound should cover the full spectrum from 65 hz to 13 Khz. Systems that only deliver a portion of the spectrum cause fatigue and discomfort. Comfort quality comes from a full broad band spectrum.
  • Wrap Around – Sound masking should be non-repetitive. If something has a pattern or a repeat, like a flickering light, our brains pick it up as information which in turn fatigues us.
  • Multiple Noise Sources – multiple noise sources create randomness which, in turn, creates comfort to our minds and bodies.
  • Uniformity – a sound must be consistent and level throughout a space. Hot and cold spots make sound masking noticeable and distracting. A sound masking system must have a tolerance of +/- 1 dB.
  • Tuning Flexibility – a sound masking system should allow you the flexibility to adjust it in order to meet the criteria of privacy and comfort. Individuals have preferences and therefore a system should allow both volume and contour adjustments to be made easily

As you think about your client’s space and the comfort of the environment, take into account the key criteria and the true consumables being purchased.

The productivity of the people that fill the space is the most important factor for any organization. But, it is the comfort of the employee which will help to retain them and allow them to excel.

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