Sound Masking

Sound masking is found in the “cover” portion of the ABCs of acoustics. Sound masking is the addition of an uniform background sound, similar to airflow or “pink noise”, to reduce the intelligibility of human speech. The resulting environment leads to increased privacy, improved worker performance, enhanced productivity and greater worker comfort. We specialize in sound masking sales and installation for offices and businesses. Qt Quiet Technology™ in-ceiling sound masking systems enhance privacy and reduce distractions in virtually any space from small offices to large, multi-floor buildings. Combined with integrated paging and music functionality, Qt systems are a complete 3-in-1 solution for creating better acoustic environments.

When someone’s conversation is clearly understood, the speech becomes a distraction and the individual speaking has less privacy. The Qt Quiet Technology sound masking system is designed to increase the room’s ambient sound, making the talker’s voice less intelligible. This reduces eavesdropping and increases privacy.

Qt Quiet Technology™ sound masking systems enhance privacy and reduce distractions in virtually any space from small offices to large, multi-floor buildings. Combined with integrated paging and music functionality, Qt systems are a complete 3-in-1 solution for creating better acoustic environment.

What is Sound Masking? from Cambridge Sound Management on Vimeo.

DAB Communications is proud to be an authorized distributor of the Qt Quiet Technology™ sound masking product line. We offer four different models to create a customized sound masking solution based on your business size and needs.

The Qt 100™ is ideal for smaller, single zone spaces of up to 12,000 square feet.

The Qt 300™ is ideal for medium sized, one or two zone spaces of up to 36,000 square feet. This system includes monitoring software to control the module via a TCP/IP connection.

The Qt 600™ is ideal for medium to large multi-zone spaces of up to 72,000 square feet. This system includes monitoring software to control the module via a TCP/IP connection.

Sound masking is a cost effective way to boost speech privacy. The table below shows the effectiveness of common types of acoustical treatments. In this example, increases in ceiling tile quality relates to increased absorption, taller cubicle partitions relates to increased blocking, and the implementation of direct field sound masking relates to the increased coverage. The office environment in this example features 8’ ceilings and 10’x10’ cubicles.

After implementation, direct-field sound masking is the most effective and budget friendly solution for delivering increased speech privacy while reducing conversational distractions.

Reduced distraction and increased comfort lead to improved results. In a series of laboratory experiments conducted between 2006 and 2008, researchers examined the effect of speech intelligibility on task performance. This two-year study measured participants’ short-term memory recall in a typical open office environment without sound masking versus the same environment with sound masking deployed. The researchers found an 8.7% increase in the participants’ ability to recall a series of numbers and a 7.8% increase in recollection of words in the environment with sound masking.

Reduced distractions not only equate to improved worker performance, it also translates into an increase in productivity and less wasted time. Contact us today for more information, a free quote, or to request service.