Optimising user experience is one of the most important factors in a sound masking installation. This is because achieving a comfortable acoustic environment is entirely dependent upon how the people working within that environment experience it. If workers feel they do not have control over acoustic stimuli that cause distraction, this can cause significant dissatisfaction with the working environment.

Comfortable acoustic environments

As a result, a poorly designed or specified sound masking system risks creating an uncomfortable acoustic environment which will not improve productivity or cost effectiveness for the business. 

To be comfortable, the sound masking system needs to become part of the environment. It should be static, not changing, so that it can fade into the background and quietly do its job.

Activity-based working environments

In an activity-based working environment, this becomes even more critical because workers are regularly moving between spaces. While sound levels should be set to suit the activity—for example, the open plan areas will be set higher than a quiet room—it is important that the transition in levels is not audibly different to the end user.

Comfortable sound levels are dependent upon each individual installation, and the appropriate level is often lower than the AS/NZS 2107:2016 recommendations. This requires trained technicians familiar with diverse sound masking installations.

Choosing sound masking

Sound masking has a demonstrated track record in reducing the impact of distracting noise and enhancing speech privacy in the office. Modern office design trends toward activity-based, agile working environments, which brings with it the old problems of the open plan office along with new problems of required acoustic flexibility. A well-designed sound masking system that prioritises end user comfort solves the problems of flexibility needed in acoustic design.

This blog is an edited excerpt from The flexibility of sound masking: three case studies from Perth presented at Acoustics 2025. To read the full paper, please click here.