November 27, 2022 Sally Lu

How to stop the echo in your home?

The echo is like a boomerang. It is a sound that later returns to where it came from. You can hear it on the mountains, but also at home. That's where it can torment you. However, there is a simple solution. But first, let's explain what an echo is and how it is created.

The name "echo" (echo) comes from a Greek legend . In that story, Hera (wife of the god Zeus) cursed a mountain nymph named Echo to repeat only what she was told.

How is an echo created?

When sound travels through the air, like a sound wave, and hits a hard, flat surface (such as a tiled wall in a bathroom), most of the sound bounces back and comes back, but somewhat weaker than the original sound. We call it reverberation . Maybe that's why people like to sing in the shower, the sound sounds different there.

To get a really good, strong echo that sounds the same as the original sound, we need a very large bathroom or other very large place with hard walls - like a mountain valley. Why? Because it takes a while for the sound to gain strength and return as an echo. If there is not much space, the sound that comes back will mix with the original sound and you will hear reverberation.

Why is there more noise in a new building than in an old house?

If the house is empty or sparsely furnished, it has more hard surfaces to reflect sound. Empty walls allow sound to be transmitted throughout the house . Wood floors and tiles provide a hard surface to reflect sound waves. Modern materials in new buildings support the echo . After the device, this problem is likely to be resolved or alleviated.

Old houses have plaster walls and carpeted floors, the sound is absorbed by some materials more than in new buildings, and therefore there is less echo even without the equipment. When building a house, there should also be insulation inside the walls. It reduces sound reflection .