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FocusPod Max™Office Pods vs Acoustic Screens
Acoustics
Pods vs acoustic screens.
The cheapest thing you can buy for office noise, and the most commonly bought for the wrong reason.
Acoustic screens absorb sound; pods enclose it. Screens reduce reflections and visual distraction, which makes a floor feel calmer. They do not stop a conversation carrying, because a screen is not a barrier. If the problem is people being overheard on calls, screens are the wrong purchase at any price — only an enclosure removes the conversation from the floor.
What each one actually does
| Acoustic screens | Office pod | |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanism | Absorption — soaks up reflections | Enclosure — mass and an unbroken seal |
| Rated by | NRC, absorption 0 to 1 | ISO 23351-1 speech level reduction |
| Stops a call being overheard | No | Yes — up to 30 dB, Class A |
| Reduces reverberation | Yes, meaningfully | Only inside the pod |
| Visual privacy | Yes | Yes, with frosted or switchable glass |
| Cost | $500–$3,000 | From $10,730 ex GST |
| Floor space | Almost none | 1.0–6.8 m² depending on model |
Why a screen cannot contain a call
Sound does not travel in straight lines that a panel can block. It diffracts around edges, reflects off the ceiling, and passes through any gap.
A screen has three open sides and an open top. Whatever it absorbs on the way past is a fraction of what simply goes over and around it. That is not a criticism of screens — they are not built to contain speech and no manufacturer claims they are.
Containing a conversation requires a continuous sealed barrier on all six surfaces, which is the definition of an enclosure and the reason a booth costs what it does.
When screens are the right buy
Genuinely often, and we would rather say so than sell you the wrong thing.
If the floor is reverberant — hard surfaces, concrete, glass, exposed ceilings — absorption is the first spend and it is cheaper than anything else on the list. A treated floor is less tiring even though conversations still carry.
If the problem is visual. Screens work well for line-of-sight distraction at a desk bank.
If the budget is genuinely $2,000. Screens will improve a floor. A pod at that budget does not exist, and a cheap booth that fails on ventilation or sealing is worse than screens.
When only a pod will do
Client calls at desks. Performance reviews and HR conversations. Candidate interviews. Anything confidential.
All four have the same requirement: the conversation must not be followable from outside. That is a measurable threshold — Class A under ISO 23351-1, around 30 dB — and screens do not approach it.
The practical test is simple. If someone can currently overhear something they should not, a screen will not change that.
What we would do with a mixed budget
Treat the ceiling if the space is reverberant, then buy one pod rather than screens everywhere. The ceiling is usually the largest uninterrupted hard surface and gives the most absorption return, and one enclosure removes the loudest recurring source from the floor.
More on the underlying distinction in what NRC measures and the acoustics glossary.
Common questions
Do acoustic screens stop people being overheard?
No. Screens absorb reflections and reduce visual distraction, but they have three open sides and an open top, so speech travels over and around them. Containing a conversation requires an enclosure with a continuous sealed barrier.
Are acoustic screens worth it?
Yes, for the right problem. If a floor is reverberant with hard surfaces, absorption makes it noticeably less tiring and it is the cheapest intervention available. It just will not deliver speech privacy.
What is the difference between absorption and isolation?
Absorption soaks up sound within a space and is measured by NRC. Isolation stops sound passing between spaces and is measured by STC for a single element or ISO 23351-1 for a complete enclosure. Acoustic foam has high NRC and almost no isolation.
Should I buy screens or an office pod?
Screens if the floor is reverberant or the distraction is visual. A pod if people are being overheard on calls or you need somewhere for confidential conversations — that is a threshold screens do not reach at any price.
Can I use both?
Yes, and it is often the best answer. Treat the ceiling for reverberation, then add an enclosure for the conversations that need to leave the floor.
Related: why open plan is distracting · NRC explained · one-person booths
Not sure which you need?
Describe what your floor sounds like and what people are complaining about. If screens are the right spend we will tell you, and we do not sell them.