Introduction

Large open spaces often suffer from poor sound quality. These areas can be noisy, difficult to concentrate in, or even create unsafe working conditions. Auditoriums, gymnasiums, open offices, restaurants, warehouses, and industrial facilities are just a few of the types of projects and places where this is common. By solving the issue of noise in these environments, customers and employees can better enjoy their time in your environment.

What are Sound Baffles?

Baffles are suspended from the ceiling and made of soft materials that absorb sound waves instead of reflecting them. They offer reverberation and echo reduction in large spaces. Echoes are a repetition of the sound a fraction of a second later, this is a result of a traveling sound wave bouncing and hitting various surfaces. These bounced sounds arrive at your ear at different times, creating an echo. Reverberation is many echoes arriving at the same time. All of these things create noise and affect the listener. Baffles come in a variety of sizes and can be covered in a variety of materials. Some are made of foam, polyester or fiberglass fill. They even come in fun shapes like waves that make a statement in your space. These can be a great alternative to our fabric wrapped panels when wall space for fabric wrapped acoustical panels is not available.

Why are Sound Baffles Important?

By integrating sound baffles into your architecture, music and speech intelligibility will increase, making sound more pleasant and speech easier to understand. Since they also reduce noise, interior spaces such as restaurants and dining halls will benefit from installing sound baffles. Baffles can be a very economical way to address echo and reverb time in large spaces like pools and churches. They are also very easy to install by contractors and end users with our cable kits. In the workplace, baffles can bring noise levels down to comply with OSHA regulations.

Mission Valley Aquatics improved the acoustics for their indoor pool with a combination of AlphaEnviro® PVC Acoustic Panels and Baffles.

Mission Valley Aquatics improved the acoustics for their indoor pool with a combination of AlphaEnviro® PVC Acoustic Panels and Baffles.

Examples of Sound Baffles

Clean baffles — Perfect for clean rooms and food preparation areas or other areas requiring durable, washable, and cleanable materials.

Ecosorpt baffles — LEED certified, 80% post industrial content, come in 1” and 2” and in a 3 pound or 6 pound density.

Economical PVC baffles — These come in a 2′ x 4′ size in a variety of PVC colors.

Polyester baffles — constructed with a center air space for maximum sound absorption out of sustainable PET materials and 55% recycled content, this material is available in an array of colors.

AlphaSorb Series 300 Polyester Acoustic Baffle Ceiling Installation

AlphaSorb Series 300 Polyester Acoustic Baffle Ceiling Installation

Tips and Reminders for Sound Baffles

  • Baffles come in a variety of sizes to suit any aesthetic
  • A variety of materials are available for different acoustical budgets
  • Polyester or PET baffles offer a sustainable and beautiful choice
Whisperwave® Ribbon Sound Baffle by Pinta Acoustic, Inc.

Whisperwave® Ribbon Sound Baffle by Pinta Acoustic, Inc.

Summary

Baffles are a great way of using the ceiling to help absorb sound and mitigate the loud din of voices and activity. Consider specifying baffles in your next architectural project. You can see all of our baffle choices by typing “Baffles” in the search bar at the top of our website.


To learn more about how Acoustical Solutions can solve your noise control problems, use our contact form, call one of our Acoustical Sales Consultants at (800) 782-5742, or visit us on the web at acousticalsolutions.com.