With and without Troldtekt: How much difference does it make to your home?

Keen to avoid reverberation and sounds being cast around your home? If so, it’s all about shortening the reverberation time. See how much difference a Troldtekt acoustic ceiling makes to the acoustics.

Photo: Helene Høyer Mikkelsen

Acoustic problems occur because hard, smooth surfaces reflect the sound waves back to where they originated. This will often be the case in open-plan kitchen-dining-living rooms, where the family gathers to cook, play and talk. In fact, noise levels can easily become quite uncomfortable.

The solution is to shorten the room’s reverberation time, which is a measure of the time that elapses from when a sound – for example the clap of your hands – stops and dies out. If the reverberation time is too long, it becomes difficult to distinguish conversation from noise, causing feelings of stress, irritation and discomfort.

With a short reverberation time, the soundscape becomes more precise, and speech intelligibility increases significantly. This requires a surface which is soft and uneven so that it can absorb the sound. And this is where Troldtekt comes into the picture.

Example: Three scenarios in the same room

In your average open-plan kitchen-dining-living room, a reverberation time of 0.6-0.8 seconds is good.

The example below shows three scenarios for the reverberation time in the same living space – with and without a Troldtekt acoustic ceiling. The room has a floor area of 40 square metres and a vaulted ceiling. You will find the exact assumptions on which the calculations are based at the bottom of the page.

Scenario 1: Reverberation time without Troldtekt

 

3,22 sek.

In the example, two layers of plasterboard have been used to create a nice, even finish. One layer of plasterboard is also a popular solution, although it does not make much of a difference for the acoustics. Unfortunately, the result is often long reverberation times, with sounds taking longer to dissipate.

Scenario 2: The reverberation time with retrofitted 25+18 mm Troldtekt Plus acoustic panels beneath a plasterboard ceiling

 

0,71 sek.

Here, a Troldtekt acoustic ceiling has been retrofitted beneath the plasterboard ceiling. It is a Troldtekt Plus ceiling, which is a two-layer acoustic panel with a mineral wool backing. This produces a noticeable change to the soundscape, as the sounds are now absorbed.

Scenario 3: Reverberation time with 25 mm Troldtekt acoustic panels installed directly beneath the roof structure

 

0,46 sek.

Here, a Troldtekt acoustic ceiling was installed directly beneath the insulation in the roof structure when the house was built. This solution reduces the reverberation time even more, and thus produces the best result. Sounds are now absorbed by the uneven surface of the acoustic panels.

Assumptions for calculation examples

Calculate the reverberation time

Would you like to see how you can influence the acoustics in your home – depending on the materials and the shape and size of the rooms? Then try Troldtekt’s acoustics calculator.

 

Try our acoustics calculator