Quick answer: Even the best AV equipment underperforms in a reverberant room. Adding acoustic treatment -- wall panels, ceiling rafts or suspended baffles -- reduces reverberation and background noise so that microphones, speakers and video-conferencing systems can work as intended. Acoustic treatment is not an optional extra; it is a prerequisite for a successful commercial AV installation.
Why acoustics determine AV performance
Hard surfaces reflect sound. In a room with exposed concrete, glazing or open-plan ceilings, those reflections build into reverberation that confuses microphones and makes speech difficult to follow. High-end signal processing and noise-cancellation algorithms help, but they cannot compensate for a room that generates far more noise than the system was designed to handle.
Common problems caused by poor room acoustics in AV-equipped spaces:
- Microphones pick up echo and surface noise rather than the speaker's voice
- Video-conferencing codecs consume processing power fighting reverberation instead of delivering clarity to remote participants
- Loudspeakers sound fatiguing or indistinct at normal listening volumes
- Users report that "the technology doesn't work" when the real fault is the room
Reducing reverberation time (RT60) to the appropriate level for the room's function -- typically 0.4--0.6 seconds for a meeting room or 0.6--0.8 seconds for a larger conference space -- allows AV equipment to perform at specification rather than fighting the environment.
Acoustic products suited to commercial AV fit-outs
Most commercial acoustic treatment falls into three categories, each with a different role in an AV project.
Wall-mounted panels
Fabric-wrapped panels fixed to side and rear walls absorb mid- and high-frequency reflections -- the frequencies that most affect speech intelligibility. Class A-rated panels such as the Zen Liner provide maximum absorption in a slim profile that does not intrude on the room's usable space. Panels can be printed with branded artwork, making them a visual feature rather than an acoustic afterthought.
Ceiling rafts and baffles
Where wall space is limited or the ceiling is the primary reflective surface, suspended rafts and baffles deliver absorption without touching the walls. The Zen Raft is a horizontal ceiling panel available in a range of sizes and fabrics; the Zen Baffle hangs vertically in rows to address both lateral and downward reflections. Both are commonly specified in open-plan collaboration areas and boardrooms where wall mounting is impractical.
Acoustic pin boards
Acoustic pin boards combine functional display surfaces with sound absorption. They are a practical choice for meeting rooms that need to display content while also managing noise -- one product addressing two requirements without additional wall real estate.
Browse the full acoustic solutions range →
Integrating acoustics with interactive screens and displays
Interactive screens and large-format displays are increasingly central to commercial fit-outs. Positioning acoustic panels on side walls adjacent to the screen, rather than behind it, preserves projection angles and sight lines while still absorbing the reflections that cause the most interference with front-mounted microphones and camera arrays.
For rooms with interactive screens, the recommended approach is to treat the rear wall and the two side walls up to the screen's midpoint. This arrangement reduces RT60 significantly without obstructing the display surface or the cable management integrated into the screen enclosure.
What acoustic treatment adds to a project specification
Including acoustic treatment in a commercial fit-out specification provides measurable benefits beyond audio quality:
- Reduced complaints. Clients are less likely to report that AV equipment is "not working" when the room has been acoustically prepared. Problems that would otherwise require return visits are avoided.
- Improved hybrid meeting performance. Remote participants on video calls hear clearer audio, which directly improves the usability of the space for distributed teams.
- Wellbeing and productivity. Lower ambient noise levels reduce cognitive fatigue, which is an increasingly important consideration in workplace design briefs.
- Design coherence. Printed or colour-matched panels can be specified to complement the wider interior scheme rather than appearing as a retrofit.
Specifying acoustic treatment: practical considerations
The amount of acoustic treatment required depends on room volume, surface materials and the intended use of the space. A straightforward meeting room of 30--50 m² will typically benefit from 8--16 m² of Class A absorption spread across the rear wall, side walls and, where ceiling height permits, one or two ceiling rafts.
Key factors to establish at specification stage:
- Existing surface materials (glass, plasterboard, carpet, exposed concrete)
- Room dimensions and ceiling height
- Primary use (video conferencing, presentations, collaborative working, all three)
- Available wall and ceiling mounting positions relative to AV equipment locations
- Any fire or building-regulation requirements for panel classification
If you need guidance on specifying the right products for a particular space, the Presentation Spaces team can advise. Contact us with your room dimensions and brief.
Frequently asked questions
Does acoustic treatment really improve video-conferencing quality?
Yes. Reducing room reverberation lowers the noise floor that microphones capture, which means video-conferencing codecs process cleaner audio. Remote participants hear speech more clearly, echo suppression algorithms work less hard, and the overall call quality improves noticeably in rooms that previously had reverberation times above 0.8 seconds.
Which acoustic products work best in a meeting room or boardroom?
Wall-mounted Class A fabric panels on the rear and side walls are the most effective starting point. For rooms with limited wall space or high ceilings, ceiling rafts or suspended baffles provide equivalent absorption. A combination of both wall and ceiling treatment is common in boardrooms where the ceiling is a major reflective surface.
Can acoustic panels be specified to match a company's brand colours or interior scheme?
Yes. Most fabric-wrapped acoustic panels -- including the Zen Liner and Zen Raft -- are available in a wide range of fabric colours and can be printed with custom artwork or photography. This makes it straightforward to integrate acoustic treatment into a branded interior rather than treating it as a purely functional addition.
How much wall coverage is typically needed?
A useful rule of thumb for a standard meeting room is to target absorption coverage of 20--30% of total wall area, prioritising the rear wall and the two side walls. Larger or harder rooms need more coverage. Specialist acoustic modelling software can calculate the precise quantity needed to reach a target RT60 for a specific space.
Do acoustic panels need to be installed at the same time as AV equipment?
No. Acoustic panels can be retrofitted to an existing room at any stage. However, specifying them as part of the initial fit-out is more cost-effective and means the AV system is commissioned in the correct acoustic environment from the outset, avoiding the need to adjust DSP settings after handover.
Are there acoustic products that also function as display surfaces?
Yes. Acoustic pin boards combine fabric-covered absorption with a pinnable display surface, useful in meeting rooms or classrooms that need both. Acoustic glassboards and writing walls with acoustic backing are also available for spaces where writable surfaces are a requirement alongside noise control.
