On April 14, 2002, an international reader from Ireland wrote:

Michael,

Could you please let me know what you consider to be the difference between a sound proof room vrs a sound treated room. Are there any stds that call for a class 8 vrs a class 10 room?

I am mailing you from Ireland so european stds would be the norm.

If you can help it will be most appreciated.

 

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Michael Der Responded

To my knowledge, there really such a thing as a completely "sound" proof booth, that is a room/booth that can completely attenuate sounds both environmentally and induced from outside the room.  A sound treated room is a room that has undergone acoustic treatment that will allow it to attenuate sounds within a specific frequency range.  Depending on the materials and the thickness of a sound treated room, the more or less sound will be able to enter or escape.   To determine the frequency range of sound, a particular room can attenuate, please see the following article on my website http://members.fortunecity.com/michaelder/absorptive.html

You will notice that the thicker a room becomes, the more low frequency sound energy it will be able to absorb. 

I hope this information helps you.

Sincerely,

Michael Der

Audiologist

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Reader Responded: