Speech Privacy
What Our Clients Say
“Our sound masking system is working as you said it would. The proof came recently when we took the system down late in the day to upgrade a component. My phone was ringing with calls asking what happened? It is hard to believe we used to work here with all those distractions!”
Providing Speech Privacy Through White Noise Sound Control Systems
The American Society of Testing Materials (ASTM) has approved the use of the Speech Privacy Index (PI) to calculate and measure the acoustical quality of a space. Rather than measuring the acoustics of each of the design elements in the space, the Speech Privacy Index measures the acoustics for the entire interior environment. The PI determines how much of a conversation at point A can be understood at point B.
The most effective method of increasing speech privacy in the office is through the use of a sound masking system. Sound masking, (white noise and pink noise) is cost effective and has a typical return on investment of 4 to 6 months.
Sound Masking is an electronically generated broad band, low level background sound that is precisely contoured to cover, or mask conversational intelligibility and unwanted background noise. The addition of sound masking to a space is acoustically equivalent to tripling the distance (radius of distraction) between people.
Sound masking can increase conversational privacy by as much as 100%. As a system, it works by slightly raising the ambient background sound at the listener’s ear and increasing privacy levels by reducing the signal-to-noise ratio. In effect, a sound masking system works the opposite of a hearing aid.
The Benefits of Sound Masking with Pink Noise
Benefits of implementing a sound masking system to a space include:
- Increased speech privacy levels
- Reduced noise and conversational distractions
- Improved employee concentration
- Increased employee productivity
- Fewer employee errors
Margenau Associates, Inc. utilizes a “site specific” computer tuning process that assures the maximum degree of speech privacy at the lowest possible background sound. This process precisely fills in one-third octave band attenuation deficiencies for the specific application, then produces and contours an exact computer generated sound-masking spectrum for optimum performance. The MAI modeling program allows a user to evaluate the combined effect of any changes to the space.
With a prestigious list of Fortune 100 & 500 clients and over 30 Million square feet of projects completed successfully, MAI can provide real world, practical solutions to complicated acoustical problems.
To schedule your no cost acoustical modeling analysis please contact us.
Speech Privacy
The American Society of Testing Materials (ASTM) has approved the use of the Speech Privacy Index (PI) to calculate and measure the acoustical quality of a space.
HIPAA
The oral communications section of this law requires that “reasonable safeguards” be in place to ensure that sensitive health information remains private.
Build Green
The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) defines green buildings as one that have significantly reduced negative impacts on the environment.
Audio Security
Audio Security Counter Measure systems are utilized by the most secure facilities in the Nation (SCIF) and private industries to eliminate the possibility of eavesdropping.