7 common misunderstandings around acoustics

Acoustics is quite a complex matter. Some manufacturers like to give the impression that a single product – their own, of course – can solve all acoustic problems. It is therefore not surprising that there are quite a few misunderstandings about acoustics…

1-Acoustic interventions are a killer for your interior

There are indeed a lot of acoustic materials for sale that are a serious drain on the look and feel of your interior. But fortunately, there are also very attractive solutions available that can be perfectly integrated into your interior. But what often works best are invisible acoustic solutions: the acoustic interventions are there, but they are (completely or partially) invisible.

2-Acoustics are less important than the quality of your hi-fi or AV installation

It seems simple: buy a good system and you have good sound, and buy an excellent system and you have excellent sound. The reality is that even an excellent rig will underperform if it plays in an acoustically weak room, and a modest rig can produce excellent sound if set up in an acoustically favourable room. Or to put it another way, the influence of acoustics on the final result you get to hear is at least as great as that of the quality of the sound system.

3-Acoustic interventions are (very) invasive, just like remodelling

It depends on what the problem is and how you want to solve it. Disturbing reverberation in the highs and mids, for example, is a common problem that can be addressed without major work. Problems with low tones – standing waves, among others – are already a bit more complex, and can often require some flexibility from your interior if you want itk completely solved.

Sound insulation – in this case: preventing sound from one room leaking into other rooms or into the neighbours – is indeed radical. That’s because you can only get good results through structural interventions, such as the construction of double walls, a floating ceiling and so on.

4-Acoustics is only important for true music lovers

This is a misconception. Acoustics are important for everyone, even when there is no music or film sound involved at all. For instance, a room that reverberates too much – a living room, office, restaurant or classroom space – will undermine speech intelligibility, making it difficult to understand each other properly (especially if several people are speaking at the same time) and making such a room feel unpleasant and make you feel tired faster.

5-To improve acoustics you need special acoustic materials

Not always. Sometimes it is enough to give a room some extra upholstery by hanging curtains or providing a carpet on the floor. Certain acoustic problems can also be addressed by room equalisation – an electronic equalisation system often built into AV receivers and processors – and sometimes by moving the listening position – read: the seat – a little. The latter intervention, for instance, can help you get rid of some disturbing standing waves.

6-As long as you use enough damping materials, you will be fine

If a room reverberates too much – especially in the centre and high up – then you should indeed dampen it to reduce the reverberation. This is less easy than it seems, by the way, because the reverberation time has to remain even – you don’t want some frequency areas to be strongly damped and the others not – and because a room that is damped too much sounds too dead. And that, of course, cannot be the intention. On top of that, there are often other acoustic issues at play, which are best addressed by other means.

7-Without measuring equipment, you won’t get anywhere

Measurement is knowledge, as the saying goes. This is also the case with acoustics, but someone with the necessary experience – which is a prerequisite – can determine several things by ear. But if you want to be really thorough and scientifically based, measurements are indispensable.