Frequently asked questions

Acoustic lighting combines a luminaire with sound-absorbing material, usually felt made from polyester (PET) fibres. The felt absorbs part of the sound that reaches it, which shortens reverberation and makes speech clearer, while the luminaire lights the space as normal.

Why acoustic lighting?

It depends on how much absorption you add compared with how hard the room is. One luminaire adds a limited amount of absorption, and a hard room may need many times that to sound comfortable, so the effect comes from having enough units, hung where people talk. We calculate this before you buy, and say so honestly if lights alone won't be enough.

How many acoustic lights do I need?

Percentage claims depend entirely on the room they were measured in, and they rarely say what was measured. We quote absorption figures for each product, and say whether they were measured or calculated, so you or your acoustician can work out the effect in your own room.

No. Acoustic lighting reduces echo and reverberation inside a room. Stopping sound passing between rooms, or coming in from the street or a neighbouring venue, is sound insulation, which needs walls, floors, doors and ceilings built for it.

Only partly. Felt absorbs speech frequencies well but low frequencies much less, and absorbing bass needs thicker absorbers or deeper air gaps. Acoustic lighting helps most with the build-up of voices and clatter; loud music systems and plant noise need to be dealt with at the source.

They help, especially upholstered seating and heavy curtains. In rooms with hard floors, large windows and exposed ceilings they rarely add enough absorption on their own. Acoustic lighting adds absorption overhead, where there is usually the most free space, without changing floors or walls.

Yes. Absorption spread through the room works better than the same amount grouped in one place, and pendants over tables or desks put felt close to where conversations happen. Spacing and suspension height can also change how much each product absorbs, which is one reason we check layouts rather than relying on a single figure.

Often both. Acoustic lights put absorption where you need light anyway, without using wall space. Panels give more absorption for the money per square metre. In very loud rooms we usually combine acoustic lighting with some wall or ceiling panels or baffles.

It can be simpler. A lit baffle combines the light and the absorber in one product, so there is one item to coordinate in the ceiling, one fixing and one installation, and the lighting layout doesn't have to be worked around a separate baffle grid. Separate baffles can still make sense where you need more absorption than the lighting layout allows.

It depends on the room's volume, its surfaces and how quiet it needs to be. We estimate the room's reverberation time with the Sabine formula (RT = 0.161 × volume ÷ absorption), set a target for its use, and work out how much extra absorption is needed in m² Sabine. Dividing that by each product's equivalent absorption area per fitting gives a quantity, which we then check against the lighting layout.

How many acoustic lights do I need?

It depends on the room's use and, for some buildings, on a published standard. Schools in England have maximum values set by BB93, and Germany uses DIN 18041; there is no regulatory target for restaurants in the UK or Ireland. Our sizing guide lists reference values with their sources.

How many acoustic lights do I need?

Take an illustrative 100 m² restaurant with a 3 m ceiling (300 m³). If its hard finishes give about 30 m² of absorption, its reverberation time is about 1.6 seconds. Bringing it down to about 0.8 seconds needs roughly 30 m² more absorption, which is about 19 pendants rated at 1.6 m² each, or fewer pendants combined with some panels or baffles.

How many acoustic lights do I need?

Free-hanging products such as pendants and baffles absorb sound on all faces, so they are rated per object rather than per square metre. The figure, in m², tells you how much perfectly absorbing surface one fitting is equivalent to. You add these figures up to find how much a layout contributes to the room.

Some manufacturers calculate the absorption per fitting from the felt area and the material's laboratory value, rather than testing the finished luminaire in a reverberation room to EN ISO 354. Calculated figures are useful for estimates, but a measured figure is more reliable. Our product pages say which kind each figure is.

Yes. Send us drawings, or the room dimensions, ceiling height, finishes and a photo, and we'll estimate the current reverberation time, suggest a target and propose a layout with quantities. For spaces with strict acoustic requirements, we'll work alongside your acoustic consultant.

Send us your drawings

It helps, but rarely on its own. Absorption overhead reduces reverberation and how far speech carries, but open-plan acoustics, as measured to EN ISO 3382-3, also depend on screens, furniture layout and sometimes sound masking. Acoustic linears and pendants over desks are one part of that mix.

Standards & regulations explained

It can contribute absorption towards the reverberation targets those documents set, alongside acoustic ceilings and wall panels. Whether a room complies depends on the whole room design, and is normally confirmed by an acoustic consultant. We can supply the test data they need and calculate what a proposed layout adds.

Standards & regulations explained

Felt can be dusted and spot-cleaned, and some manufacturers approve specific wiping or disinfecting methods, but this varies by product, so check the product's care guidance with us before specifying it. In healthcare, acoustic lighting usually suits waiting areas, receptions and corridors rather than areas with strict infection-control cleaning regimes, which should be agreed with the infection control team.

Felt is best kept away from grease, steam and high humidity, so acoustic lighting suits dining areas rather than positions over cooking lines. Near open kitchens, keep it out of the extraction zone and check the product's IP rating and care guidance with us.

One pendant will help a little, especially over the desk, but a small hard room usually needs more absorption than one fitting provides. A rug, curtains, a bookcase or a wall panel behind or beside you will often make as much difference. The same Sabine method applies to a home office as to a restaurant.

Yes. With high ceilings, suspended products such as pendants and baffles can be hung closer to where people are, so they light the space properly and absorb sound nearer its source. Rows of baffles work particularly well in halls, canteens and atriums.

Felt products are classified for reaction to fire under EN 13501-1. Classifications vary by product and some apply only with a specified mounting, such as an air gap behind the felt, so we state each product's classification as published by its manufacturer. Always check the classification report against your building's requirements.

Standards & regulations explained

Ask any supplier this, because some ratings apply only to the felt material. A classification applies to the product as it was tested, including its mounting. We tell you what each classification report covers, and supply the report so your fire engineer or building control can check it.

In England, Approved Document B sets reaction-to-fire classes for wall and ceiling linings by type of space, with circulation spaces needing the highest class; in Ireland the equivalent is Technical Guidance Document B. Free-hanging luminaires and baffles may be assessed differently from linings, so confirm with your fire engineer or building control body.

Standards & regulations explained

A heavy build-up of dust and dirt can clog the surface of felt, and some manufacturers note that it can affect fire performance. Regular dry dusting with a soft brush or a vacuum on low suction keeps the felt close to its tested condition. Avoid soaking the felt or using abrasive cleaners, and follow the product's care guidance.

Products are tested for absorption to EN ISO 354, rated to EN ISO 11654 and classified for fire to EN 13501-1. The rooms they go in may have their own requirements, such as BB93 for schools in England, HTM 08-01 for healthcare, DIN 18041 in Germany, EN ISO 3382-3 for open-plan offices or the WELL Building Standard.

Standards & regulations explained

The light comes from an integrated LED and its optic, and the felt shapes the luminaire around it, so output and glare depend on the optic. Each product page lists lumens, wattage and glare rating (UGR) where published, and these vary by size: some are UGR below 19, others below 22. We check light levels and glare for your layout with the real photometric files.

Low enough to put the felt near the conversation and light the surface well, but high enough to keep sightlines clear and avoid glare. The right height depends on the product, the room and the task, so we check it in the lighting calculation. In high spaces, pendants or baffles at mixed heights spread absorption through the volume.

Yes. Some designs are available as surface-mounted or ceiling-mounted versions, and ceiling rafts can sit close to the soffit. They still add absorption, though free-hanging products generally absorb more because sound reaches all their faces.

Felt is light, but a large luminaire with its metal frame, driver and suspension still has real weight. Weights are on each product page and datasheet where published. Your installer or structural engineer should confirm the ceiling or soffit fixings are suitable.

They can if they aren't coordinated. Suspended products can affect sprinkler spray patterns, detector coverage and access to services, so the layout should be agreed with the sprinkler, fire alarm and mechanical designers. Coordinating one combined product is usually easier than separate lights and baffles.

Some products are available with an emergency option, and the product page shows this where it is published. Ask us early, because emergency versions can change the driver, size or lead time.

Depending on the product, drivers are available for DALI / DALI-2, Casambi wireless, Bluetooth app control, push-dim, phase-cut and 1–10 V. We confirm the right driver for every line of your schedule.

Compare control options

Products come with IES and LDT (EULUMDAT) photometric files for DIALux, Relux and similar software, plus a datasheet and, where available, the acoustic test report and fire classification report. If a file isn't on the product page, ask us. We can also run the lighting and acoustic calculations for you.

An acoustic luminaire costs more than a standard luminaire of similar output, and panels give more absorption for the money per square metre. Acoustic lighting can still work out well when you need the lights anyway, have no wall space for panels, or want one product and one installation. Send us a plan for a project-specific comparison.

Send us your drawings

Each product comes in a range of standard felt colours, and many can be made in a wider palette for larger projects. Send us your colour references and quantities and we'll tell you what's possible.

It varies by product and colour, up to 60% recycled PET, much of it from post-consumer plastic bottles. We state the figure from the manufacturer's documentation on each product page rather than quoting one number for the whole range.

Felt made only from PET can be recycled more easily, and many designs assemble without glue so felt, metal and electronics can be separated. LED modules and drivers are electrical waste and must be recycled under WEEE rules. Ask us about take-back options for your project.

Products carry a manufacturer-backed warranty of up to five years. The length differs for each product, so ask us for the terms on the products you're specifying. LED lifetime and whether the LED module and driver can be replaced vary by product, so ask us if this matters for your project.

Yes. We can send samples of felt colours and materials for most products, so you can check colour and texture against your interior scheme before you order.

Yes. We supply projects across Europe. Our products are made by European manufacturers, and we can arrange delivery to site in most European countries.