Audiometric Sound Booths
An audiometric booth is an acoustically isolated enclosure in which hearing assessments are carried out. Also called an audiology booth, a hearing test booth or an audiology room, its function is to bring the ambient noise around the patient down to a level at which the test can be performed reliably.
Quick summary: an audiometric booth is specified by its attenuation, which is stated in decibels at each audiometric test frequency rather than as one overall figure — booths attenuate less at low frequencies than at high ones, and it is the low end that usually decides whether a room is suitable. The specification is made against the room the booth will stand in, not in absolute terms: the same booth is adequate in a quiet consulting room and insufficient beside a busy corridor. The other three decisions are the internal dimensions, according to whether the patient is tested alone or with the operator inside; the number of cable connections on the jack panel, which has to cover the audiometer and any additional transducers; and ventilation, which is an acoustic opening as much as an airflow one.
Attenuation is stated per frequency, not as one number
This is the specification that matters and the one most often reduced to a single figure in a sales description.
A booth does not attenuate equally across the spectrum. Low frequencies pass through an enclosure far more readily than high ones, so a booth that performs strongly at 4 kHz may perform modestly at 125 Hz. Manufacturers therefore publish attenuation as a table of decibel values, one per audiometric test frequency, and that table is what should be compared between models.
The practical consequence: if the room where the booth will stand has low-frequency noise — traffic, plant machinery, a lift shaft, an air handling unit — that is the part of the table to read first, because it is where the margin will be tightest.
The booth is specified against the room
There is no such thing as a booth that is adequate in the abstract, and this is the point that determines whether an installation works.
What matters is the noise level that remains inside the booth once it is installed, which is a function of two things: the ambient noise in the room, and the attenuation the booth provides at each frequency. The same enclosure that is entirely sufficient in a quiet first-floor consulting room can be insufficient in a ground-floor space beside a corridor.
So the sequence is: measure or characterise the ambient noise in the intended location first, then read the attenuation table against it. Choosing the booth before knowing the room is how installations end up needing a second acoustic intervention.
Where the location may change — occupational health services working across sites, mobile screening — that argues for a modular booth that can be dismantled and reassembled, rather than for a higher specification.
Ventilation and cable entry are acoustic openings
Every hole in an enclosure is a path for sound, and a booth necessarily has two.
Ventilation is required because the patient sits inside with the door closed. How the vent is baffled — the length and geometry of the duct, the lining — determines how much sound it lets through. A booth with a well-designed ventilation path and one with a simple grille can differ substantially at the same nominal attenuation.
The jack panel for cable entry is the second. The audiometer sits outside and its transducers inside, so the cables have to cross the wall, and the panel is engineered to let them do so without opening an acoustic path.
The number of connections on that panel is a practical constraint rather than a detail: it has to cover the audiometer's channels plus any additional transducers — bone conductor, insert phones, free-field speakers, patient response button. A panel with fewer connections than the setup requires cannot be extended without compromising the wall. The models in this category are supplied with a defined number of connections, stated on each product.
Internal dimensions and who goes inside
The size follows from the test protocol rather than from available floor space.
A single-occupancy booth holds the patient, with the operator outside at the audiometer. It is the compact configuration and covers screening and standard threshold testing.
A larger booth holds patient and operator together, which is required where the assessment involves direct interaction, paediatric testing or free-field measurement with speakers positioned at defined distances from the patient.
Beyond internal size, two external figures decide the installation: the assembled footprint including the door swing, and the panel dimensions — because the booth arrives in sections and those sections have to pass through the building's doors, corridors and lift.
Modular assembly and relocation
Booths in this category are modular: they arrive as panels and are assembled on site rather than delivered as a single unit.
That has two consequences worth knowing. The booth can be dismantled and moved, which matters for a leased premises or a service that relocates. And the acoustic performance depends on the assembly: panel joints and the door seal are where an incorrectly assembled booth loses attenuation, which is why the manufacturer's assembly sequence is not a formality.
The door seal in particular is the single component most likely to degrade over time, and it is the first thing to check if a booth that performed correctly begins to fall short.
Where the booth sits in an audiology setup
The booth is the environment; the instruments are chosen separately.
The audiometer sits outside the booth and connects through the jack panel, and its channel count and transducer set determine what the panel has to support. For screening outside a booth environment, and for bedside or basic assessment, tuning forks remain part of the standard examination set.
The rest of the examination equipment for a consulting room is in diagnostic material, including the otoscopes used in the examination that normally precedes audiometry.
What to check before ordering
Six points decide whether the booth suits the location:
- The attenuation table, read frequency by frequency, with attention to the low end
- Ambient noise in the intended room, characterised before choosing the booth
- Number of connections on the jack panel against the audiometer and transducers in use
- Internal dimensions, according to whether the operator goes inside
- Panel dimensions, against the doors, corridors and lift on the delivery route
- Ventilation design and the door seal, as the two acoustic openings
Audiometric equipment and the conditions under which hearing assessments are performed are matters for the audiology professional and for the requirements applicable to the activity and the setting. Each manufacturer publishes the acoustic performance and installation conditions for its booth.
Frequently asked questions
What is an audiometric booth?
An acoustically isolated enclosure in which hearing assessments are carried out, also called an audiology booth, hearing test booth or audiology room. Its function is to bring the ambient noise around the patient down to a level at which the test can be performed reliably, and it is specified by the attenuation it achieves at each audiometric test frequency.
How is a booth's attenuation specified?
As a table of decibel values, one per audiometric test frequency, rather than as a single overall figure. A booth does not attenuate equally across the spectrum: low frequencies pass through an enclosure far more readily than high ones, so a booth that performs strongly at high frequencies may perform modestly at the low end. That table is what should be compared between models.
How do I know whether a booth is enough for my room?
By characterising the ambient noise in the intended location first and reading the attenuation table against it. There is no booth that is adequate in the abstract: the same enclosure can be entirely sufficient in a quiet first-floor consulting room and insufficient in a ground-floor space beside a corridor. If the room has low-frequency noise from traffic, plant machinery or an air handling unit, that is the part of the table to read first.
Why does ventilation matter acoustically?
Because every opening in an enclosure is a path for sound, and a booth necessarily has one for the patient inside with the door closed. How the vent is baffled — the length and geometry of the duct and its lining — determines how much sound it lets through, so two booths with the same nominal attenuation can differ substantially depending on the ventilation design.
How many connections does the jack panel need?
Enough to cover the audiometer's channels plus any additional transducers: bone conductor, insert phones, free-field speakers and the patient response button. It is a practical constraint rather than a detail, because a panel with fewer connections than the setup requires cannot be extended without compromising the wall. The number supplied is stated on each product.
What size booth do I need?
It follows from the test protocol. A single-occupancy booth holds the patient with the operator outside at the audiometer, and covers screening and standard threshold testing. A larger booth holds patient and operator together, which is required where the assessment involves direct interaction, paediatric testing or free-field measurement with speakers at defined distances.
Can an audiometric booth be moved?
Yes. Booths in this category are modular: they arrive as panels and are assembled on site, so they can be dismantled and relocated, which matters for leased premises or a service that moves between sites. The acoustic performance depends on correct assembly, though — panel joints and the door seal are where an incorrectly assembled booth loses attenuation.
Will the booth fit through the building?
The figure to compare is not the assembled footprint but the panel dimensions, because the booth arrives in sections and those sections have to pass through the doors, corridors and lift on the delivery route. The assembled footprint matters separately, and should include the door swing.
What maintenance does a booth need?
Little, but the door seal is the component most likely to degrade over time and it is the first thing to check if a booth that performed correctly begins to fall short. Panel joints are the second. Both affect attenuation without any visible sign.