Optimizing meeting room acoustics

Ever wondered how the sound quality in your meeting spaces could be fine-tuned to perfection? In today’s hybrid workplace, where clear and intelligible audio is paramount, Cisco’s Reverb Time feature in Control Hub offers a cutting-edge solution. Discover how this powerful tool helps you diagnose and optimize room acoustics, enhance collaboration, and create crystal-clear audio experiences for seamless communication. Let’s dive into how it can transform the way you work!

What is Reverberation Time?

Reverberation time, or RT60, measures the time it takes for sound to decay by 60 decibels in a room. This metric is critical for assessing the acoustic quality of a space. For effective communication, especially in meeting rooms, the ideal RT60 values range between 300 to 500 milliseconds for frequencies between 125 Hz and 4 kHz. Excessive reverberation can lead to poor sound clarity, making conversations difficult to follow 1.

How Control Hub Helps

Cisco’s Control Hub integrates real-time environmental metrics, including reverberation time, to help IT administrators:

  • Identify acoustic issues in meeting rooms.
  • Implement corrective measures, such as adding sound-absorbing materials like carpets or acoustic panels.
  • Monitor and optimize room acoustics for better collaboration experiences 2, 3.

How to Run the Reverberation Test in Control Hub

Running a reverberation test in Control Hub is straightforward and provides actionable insights:

1: Access the Workspace Metrics:

  • Navigate to the Workspaces section in Control Hub.
  • Select the desired workspace and go to the Real-Time Environmental Metrics tab.

2. Initiate the Test:

  • Click on the Run Test button or access it via the More Menu.
  • Confirm the test initiation in the pop-up window.

3. Prepare the Workspace:

  • Ensure the workspace is not in use during the test.
  • Close doors and windows to minimize external noise and simulate meeting conditions.

4. Test Execution:

  • The test plays sound through the device’s loudspeakers to estimate the reverberation time.
  • Depending on the number of loudspeakers, the test may take up to 20 seconds to complete.

5. Review Results:

  • The results are displayed in a graphical format, allowing comparison with Cisco’s recommended RT60 values of 300-500 milliseconds 1, 4.

Why It Matters

By leveraging the reverberation time feature, you can ensure that your meeting spaces are acoustically optimized, leading to improved speech intelligibility and a more productive meeting environment. This is not only important for participants joining remotely but also for those in the room. This feature is a testament to Cisco’s commitment to delivering superior collaboration experiences through innovative technology 5.

Ready to transform your meeting room acoustics? Explore the Reverb Time feature in Control Hub to diagnose, optimize, and elevate your audio experience. Log in to Control Hub now and start creating crystal-clear communication for your offices!

Reference Document Links:

  1. Utilization and environmental metrics for workspaces
  2. Advanced customization of audio on Room devices
  3. Cisco Room Kit EQ TDM Presentation
  4. Cisco TelePresence IX5000 and IX5200 First-Time Setup
  5. Cisco TelePresence IX5000 and IX5200 Room Requirements

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