How we test

How we evaluate fixes and products

Ratings first. We compare products by their published laboratory ratings (STC, OITC, IIC, NRC and NRR) and explain what each rating can and cannot tell you. For example, STC ignores sound below 125 Hz, so it says nothing about bass or traffic rumble.

Measurements. Where we measure sound ourselves, we say which meter or app we used, where it was placed, and the conditions, so you can repeat the test. Phone apps are useful for comparisons but are not calibrated instruments, and we say so.

Real-world limits. Real rooms usually perform 5 to 10 points below laboratory ratings because sound leaks around walls, doors and windows. We factor that into every recommendation.

What we never do. We do not publish invented test results, fake “hands-on” claims or reviews we were paid to write.