Sound Absorption vs Sound Blocking
These days when we are unsure of what something means or are perhaps looking to expand our knowledge of what something is, we immediately reach for the most obvious and attainable outlet- the internet.
Many of us know from experience that not everything we read on the internet is accurate (i.e. eating a spoonful of cinnamon at once is both not possible and not a good idea).
This also comes in to play when you’re searching for a way to “soundproof” a specific space- meaning that you either want the sound in a room to stay in that room or you want to keep sound out of a certain space.
You might come across things like acoustical foam, blocking sound, as well as lots of miscellaneous (and sometimes misleading) information about soundproofing.
Here’s the facts about soundproofing; you can in fact fully soundproof a room, but it would cost a lot of money, materials, and efforts to do so.
Instead, we are given two options when dealing with unwanted noise; you can either absorb the sound, or block the sound.
Sound absorption is designed to reduce sound waves that bounce inside a room, causing echoes and reverberations. Sound absorption products are rated based on how much noise they absorb using a rating called the NRC or Noise Reduction Coefficient.
The NRC measures how effective a material is at absorbing sound, the higher the NRC the better the absorption.
Sound blocking helps keeps sound maintained within a given space. In addition, it also helps keep unwanted sounds from entering a space. Sound blocking products are ranked based on how much sound they are able to block.
An STC or Sound Transmission Class is the rating used for this. The STC rates a material’s ability to block airborne sound, the higher the STC the better the material is able to block sound.
Now that we’ve equipped you with a small tidbit of information on the ways to deal with unwanted noise, you can be more knowledgeable about how to deal with your own individual space.
If you are searching for a solution to your noise problems, or perhaps just looking to learn more about noise control resolutions and how they work, we can help.
At Memtech Acoustical we know noise; we can quickly measure, analyze, and quantify your noise concerns as well as provide solutions to these noise problems that will fit into your budget.
We can custom fabricate almost any kind of noise control structure, resulting in no restrictions on the products we select to complete the job.
We are prepared to answer any questions or concerns you may have.
Contact us today!
Memtech Acoustical, LLC
2175 Avon Industrial Dr.
Rochester Hills, MI 48309
Phone: 248.289.1123
Fax: 248.289.6317
Toll Free: 877.606.3940
Sales@localhost/memtechacoustical
