The most important selection criteria for telephone boxes, meeting boxes & co

Hardly any other product segment in the office furniture market has developed as dynamically in recent years as the telephone and meeting box segment - so it's no wonder that there are now so many manufacturers and suppliers on the market that it's easy to lose your bearings. Even we, who deal with all kinds of acoustic cubes for a living, feel the same way 😉

When we select manufacturers for our own range, we always put ourselves in the shoes of a fictitious customer. And then the following two topics play the most important role:

Number of persons

How many people should the acoustic speaker you need be designed for? Here we explain the different types. A [...]

Sound insulation

Sound insulation is probably the most important function of an acoustic cube - unfortunately, however, the manufacturer's specifications can rarely be [...]

Utilisation

The generic term "telephone and meeting boxes" already suggests it - you can make phone calls and hold meetings in acoustic cubes. But [...]

Weight

The weight of a telephone box is a good approximation for its acoustic quality!

1. Functionality - what do I need an acoustic cube for? Firstly, you should be clear about the purpose for which you need an acoustic cube: What are the main activities to be carried out in it? What size is suitable? What type of speaker do I need (Telephone box, Workbox or Meeting box)? These questions can be broken down into the following selection criteria, for which we have linked detailed information in each case:
   • Utilisation / Activities
   • Number of persons / size
2. Quality - which quality level should I favour? In our range, we offer acoustic cubes of different quality levels - these are associated with different sound insulation values and range from entry-level speakers with simple sound insulation to high-end products that are suitable for use in museums, recording studios or in industry. The quality level that makes sense for you depends on the intended use and the immediate environment (loud or quiet). Normal open-plan offices with higher noise levels do not require such high sound insulation values as extremely quiet environments in which you can hear every whisper or extremely loud environments from which you want to shield yourself inside an acoustic cube. Important: When it comes to sound insulation, both directions are important: sound insulation from the inside to the outside and from the outside to the inside!
   If you would like to read more about sound insulation, we recommend the following two articles:
   • Selection criterion sound insulation
   • Selection criterion Weight - because, to put it simply, a good indicator of sound insulation is weight!

Not all telephone boxes are the same - the inexpensive models weigh just over 200 kg, while premium telephone boxes sometimes weigh more than 400 kg. It is logical that this is accompanied by a difference in price and quality.

Which sound insulation is ideal?

The following overview can serve as a rough guide as to which sound insulation level makes sense in which situation. As a general rule, if confidential conversations are to be held in the acoustic cube, higher sound insulation values should definitely be used.