FocusPod Solo™
FocusPod Solo Plus™
FocusPod Duo™
FocusPod Team™
FocusPod Meet™
FocusPod Max™Soundproof Booths in New Zealand
Acoustics
Soundproof booths, honestly.
Everyone selling booths uses the word, us included. Almost nobody qualifies it, and the qualification is where the useful information sits.
No booth is completely soundproof, and we are not going to claim ours is. What you are buying is measured speech level reduction, tested under ISO 23351-1 and sorted into classes. Class A — around 30 dB — means a normal speaking voice inside is not intelligible outside. In New Zealand, soundproof booths cost from $10,730 ex GST delivered.
What 'soundproof' actually means here
A booth is not a recording studio and it is not trying to be. The job is to stop a conversation being followed from outside, and that is achieved at around 30 dB of speech level reduction.
You will still hear that someone is talking. You will not be able to make out the words, which is the entire practical requirement in an office. Anyone promising silence is either describing a very different product or not describing anything measurable.
The standard that matters
ISO 23351-1Speech level reduction in furniture-type enclosures is measured under ISO 23351-1, which sorts results into classes. Class A is the highest band. Every FocusPod model is rated Class A.
Ask for the standard and the report number, not the decibel figure. A number with no standard attached can be measured however produces the best result — one frequency, a sealed sample, no door in the assembly. It is not comparable to anything.
STC is sometimes quoted instead. It measures a single building element such as a wall, not a complete enclosure, so it tells you very little about a booth whose performance is limited by its door.
The door decides it
Not the panels
The seal, not the wall
A door seal is audible on day one. A magnetic close onto a gasket makes a soft compression sound; a door that clicks and rattles is where the performance leaks, and it gets worse over 27,000 cycles.
Sealed means airless
The same sealing that contains sound stops air moving. Without powered ventilation a booth is uncomfortable in twenty minutes, which is the most common reason a perfectly good one stops being used.
Testing one in ten minutes
Have someone talk inside, door shut
A normal client-call voice, not shouting. Stand a metre away. You should hear that they are speaking and be unable to follow it. If you can pick out words, that is not Class A performance whatever the brochure says.
Listen to the door close
A soft compression as the gasket meets the frame is what you want. A click and a rattle is not.
Stay inside ten minutes with the fans on
This tests the thing no acoustic rating covers: whether you would voluntarily spend an hour in there.
What they cost in New Zealand
| Model | Solo | Solo Plus | Duo | Team | Meet | Max |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 1 person | 1 person | 2 people | 2 people | 4 people | 6 people |
| Exterior W×D×H | 1080 × 1000 × 2338 mm | 1600 × 1375 × 2338 mm | 1600 × 1375 × 2338 mm | 2300 × 966 × 2338 mm | 2300 × 1785 × 2338 mm | 2600 × 2605 × 2338 mm |
| Interior W×D×H | 942 × 960 × 2146 mm | 1462 × 1335 × 2146 mm | 1462 × 1335 × 2146 mm | 2162 × 926 × 2146 mm | 2162 × 1745 × 2146 mm | 2462 × 2565 × 2146 mm |
| Floor space | ~1.0 m² | ~2.2 m² | ~2.2 m² | ~2.2 m² | ~4.1 m² | ~6.77 m² |
| Weight | 290–335 kg | 442–502 kg | 442–502 kg | 504–564 kg | 635–700 kg | 852–970 kg |
| Ventilation | 0–70 m³/h | 0–110 m³/h | 0–110 m³/h | 0–110 m³/h | 0–218 m³/h | 0–327 m³/h |
| Air change | ~1.6 min | ~2.3 min | ~2.3 min | ~2.3 min | ~2.2 min | ~2.4 min |
| Power draw | 40 W | 52 W | 52 W | 60 W | 120 W | 120 W |
| Price from | $10,730ex GST, delivered | $14,505ex GST, delivered | $14,625ex GST, delivered | $15,630ex GST, delivered | $17,605ex GST, delivered | $20,335ex GST, delivered |
| Installation | + $1,145 ex GST | + $1,490 ex GST | + $1,490 ex GST | + $1,610 ex GST | + $1,725 ex GST | + $2,070 ex GST |
All ex GST with delivery included to main centres nationwide, with a freight quote for rural and remote addresses. Class A across the range — size changes, acoustic construction does not.
What customers say
Named, with permission★★★★★
“We added a FocusPod Solo because private phone calls were becoming difficult in our open-plan office. It gets used constantly for client calls, Zoom meetings and focused work. It looks professional, takes up very little space and has freed up our meeting rooms for larger groups.”
Emily Carter
Harbour Lane Finance
★★★★★
“We originally purchased one FocusPod Solo to see how much use it would get. Within the first week, staff were booking it throughout the day. It has given everyone a quiet place to take calls without interrupting the rest of the office.”
Daniel Brooks
Westbridge Property Group
★★★★★
“The Solo has been a great addition to our studio. We have a collaborative workspace, which is excellent most of the time, but it can be difficult when someone needs privacy or complete concentration. The pod solves that problem without taking over the room.”
Sarah Mitchell
Coastline Creative
Common questions
Are soundproof booths actually soundproof?
No, and nothing is. A Class A booth reduces speech by around 30 dB under ISO 23351-1, which means a normal speaking voice inside is not intelligible outside it. You will hear that someone is talking but not what they are saying.
What is a good acoustic rating for a booth?
Class A under ISO 23351-1, which is the highest band and corresponds to roughly 30 dB of speech level reduction. Ask for the report number, since a decibel figure with no standard attached can be measured any way the supplier chooses.
How much does a soundproof booth cost in New Zealand?
From $10,730 ex GST for a one-person booth up to $20,335 for a six-person meeting pod, with delivery included to main centres nationwide, with a freight quote for rural and remote addresses. Installation is optional from $1,145 ex GST.
What makes one booth quieter than another?
The door seal more than anything else.
Is STC the right rating for a booth?
No. STC measures a single building element such as a wall. A booth is a complete enclosure whose performance is limited by its weakest point, usually the door, which is why ISO 23351-1 exists and is the relevant standard.
Related: what 30 dB sounds like · STC explained · one-person booths · the buyers guide
Hear one for yourself.
Molendinar on the Queensland or Newport in Wellington, by appointment. Shut the door, have someone talk outside, and stay in there ten minutes.