What Is Sound Diffusion?

If enjoying quality sound is important to you personally or professionally, you should understand the concept of sound diffusion. What is sound diffusion, how does it work, and how does it affect you?

Sound diffusion refers to the diffusion of sound waves in a particular area. Any kind of diffusion refers to a substance — in this case, sound — that spreads out from an area of high concentration to an area of lower concentration. If there is space for a material to spread out, it will usually do so, and sound waves are no exception.

How Does Sound Diffusion Work?

In some cases, sound diffusion is desirable. When you play music, for example, you want it to fill the whole room. If you are giving a speech to a large crowd, you may use a microphone, which amplifies the effect of sound diffusion.

Sound diffusion can become a problem in spaces that are not designed with acoustics in mind. If a room is small enough and has multiple hard and flat surfaces, the sound will bounce off those surfaces back into the middle of the room and potentially interfere with the original sound. This creates an effect of hearing the direct sound mixed with the delayed, reflected sound, resulting in undesirable reverberation and echo.

What Is Sound Absorption?

Sound absorption is essentially the opposite of sound diffusion. Sound absorption occurs when a room has porous surfaces rather than hard, flat ones. The sound waves hit the wall, either pass through or experience a minor reflection, and do not bounce back into the original sound. As a result, you can enjoy the sound without interference.

What Can You Do About Sound Diffusion?

In some cases, especially in acoustically designed rooms, sound diffusion can work to your advantage and ensure everyone in the room enjoys a pleasant sound. However, if you are experiencing excessive reverberation, echo or other sound interference, sound diffusion may be working against you. The solution is to make sure there is something between the sound waves and your walls to serve as sound absorption.

Soundproof Cow has many sound absorption materials to do just that. Products like our Echo Absorber™ acoustic cotton, our hanging baffles and our acoustic foam are specifically designed to soak up sound waves, so there is no or minimal reflection and no excessive reverberation or echo.

These products are easy to install and are perfect for dealing with sound diffusion issues in recording studios, school cafeterias and even shooting ranges. Shop Soundproof Cow to find out which sound absorption products are right for your needs.

Not exactly sure if you need sound absorption materials or what kind of sound absorption your room requires? Ask us for a free acoustic analysis so we can identify your key issues and help you enjoy clean, clear sound wherever you need it. Plus, take advantage of our No Bull products for deep discounts and our Forever Sale where veterans and active service members get 10% off.

Learn More About Understanding Sound

Understand Sound Ratings

What is Reverberation of Sound

What is Sound Isolation

Impact Noise vs Airborne Noise

How to Determine the STC Rating of a Wall

Echo vs Reverberation

What is Sound

Colors of Noise

Benefits of White Noise

What are the Characteristics of a Sound Wave

What is Sound Masking