This stored noise makes it difficult to hear your music or movie soundtrack clearly. But, because the noise is below the level of your music, it blends in and isn’t always obvious.

Want to hear the noise? ASC has a simple test.

Play your music or movie at the volume you really enjoy;
Hit PAUSE on your player;
Listen for how long it takes for the sound to die away.

If the sound didn’t stop INSTANTLY, that extra amount is what is always below the surface. Remove that noise, everything sounds better! Dialogue becomes easy to understand and music reveals its subtlety. You’ll want to listen to every movie and CD you own all over again.

However, if the sound DID stop instantly, you either have a perfect or an overdamped room. A room that extinguishes all sound is easy to indentify. When you walk in, the walls seem to close in on you. People tend to talk louder, because their voices disappear as soon as they say something.

ASC's goal is to control acoustics so the room remains lively and natural sounding, while improving the articulation (intelligibility) and enjoyment. This is called “voicing”, and while it is not an ASC exclusive, it is what we are known for.