9.0 Troubleshooting
9.2 Quick guide to solving common problems
Problem
Likely source
Treatment options
The room feels dead, lifeless and uncomfortable
Too much absorption
Reflectors, diffusers
Sound localised in another part of the space is causing disruption outside or around the corner.
Diffraction
Absorbers, blockers along sound pathway, sound masking in zones where extra privacy is needed
Difficult to localise where a sound in the space is coming from
Diffusion
Reflectors
Room feels loud, irritating, and echoey
Too much reflection
Absorbers
Difficult to hear even though the sound source or speaker is within view
Refraction
Reflectors, diffusers
Can hear sound from the room next-door
Transmission
Block & cover
Difficult to understand speech, spoken words reverberate so much they overlap one another
Too much reverberation
Absorbers, diffusers