Acoustic desk screens

When do you opt for acoustic desk screens?

You opt for an acoustic desk screen if you want to reduce the direct sound of another person. These also serve to screen off a workplace and provide more physical privacy.

Direct and indirect sound, what is that?

Roughly speaking, there are two important aspects that play a role in room acoustics: indirect and direct sound.

Direct sound is the sound that moves directly from the source (mouth) to the receiver (ear). If this direct sound reflects a lot (and can therefore be perceived indirectly), the direct sound is overpowered and becomes unclear.

Indirect sound is thus reflected sound that is perceived by a receiver through reflections from hard (non-absorbent) surfaces. The more indirect sound that is perceived by a receiver, the poorer the intelligibility.

Adding sound absorption on hard surfaces reduces indirect sound. This ensures that the direct sound is easier to understand and reverberation disappears from the room.

However, too much audible direct sound from a person opposite, next to or slightly further from you is not always desirable. You do not have to listen in on someone else’s phone call. In this case, an acoustic desk screen is recommended. Because a screen is placed at a short distance from someone, it blocks out (part of) the direct sound.

How much noise reduction does a desk screen provide?

This depends on many factors and cannot be clearly quantified. In practice, we see that a screen can provide an improvement of 2-6 dB between source and receiver. It is important to keep in mind that direct sound can never be completely eliminated. Sound always partly passes (above) a screen. In addition, the noise level, the amount of absorption in a room and the distance between source and receiver determine the actual effectiveness.

What is important in the effectiveness of a screen?

• Mass is important in blocking sound. The heavier the screen the better. Mass is added by a hard core, for example, and the thicker the acoustic filling, the better. In that respect, a screen really cannot be thick enough. A screen of 1-2 cm of light material (e.g. felt or hardboard with fabric on it) does not block direct sound!
• The height of a screen must be at least 140 cm from the ground. Often 60-70 from the desktop. A lower height makes no sense from a sound point of view, as a mouth would then protrude above the screen.
• In a room with a reverberation problem (too much indirect sound) it is recommended to add absorption on walls and ceiling first. Desk screens alone do not eliminate reverberation. Above all, desk screens work even better if there are also an absorbent ceiling and walls.

Which options are there?

• EASYfabric: The most popular. An upholstered variant and completely customisable, with various standard configurations and customised if required.
• EASYphoto: Acoustically speaking, perhaps the strongest version due to a thickness of no less than 80 mm. Can also be provided with a photo or design on both sides. Stands on the ground.
• PET felt: This material lends itself to offering various table screens as well as a partition in the form of a plant block.

Besides our own brand of screens, we also have a collection of other brands, such as BuzziSpace and Glimakra. Of course, we are happy to help you choose the right screen for your situation.

Ruben de Visser

Acoustics specialist

Ask the experts

If you want more insight into the current acoustic situation, you can request a measurement on location.

Ask for advice