Last updated: October 2026
Acoustic slat panels reduce echo and reverberation inside a room, which makes speech clearer and the space feel quieter. They do not soundproof a wall, so they won't block noise from neighbours, traffic or the next room. If your living room sounds hollow, your video calls echo, or a restaurant gets loud when it fills up, slat panels help. If you want to stop sound passing through a wall, you need a different solution.
Sound absorption vs soundproofing: what's the difference?
| Sound absorption | Soundproofing | |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Reduces sound bouncing around inside a room | Stops sound travelling from one space to another |
| Fixes | Echo, harsh sound, noisy open-plan rooms, unclear speech | Noise from neighbours, traffic, other rooms |
| How | Soft, porous materials such as acoustic felt | Mass, air gaps and sealing (heavy walls, double glazing) |
| Slat panels? | Yes | No |
Why do South African homes echo so much?
Sound reflects off hard, flat surfaces. Many South African homes combine tiled or polished concrete floors, plastered brick walls, large glass sliding doors and open-plan living areas, with few soft surfaces to absorb sound. Voices and TV audio bounce around and overlap, which is what you hear as echo. Adding absorbing material on the walls or ceiling breaks that cycle.
How do slat panels absorb sound?
On an Akupanel, sound passes through the 13mm gaps between the wooden slats and into the acoustic felt behind them. The felt absorbs part of that sound energy instead of reflecting it back into the room. The slats also break up the flat wall surface, which scatters reflections that would otherwise bounce straight back.
You can hear the difference on our product pages, where a recording toggles between a room with and without Akupanels: listen on the Akupanel 240 page.
How many panels do I need to notice a difference?
As a guide, cover about 25% of the room's wall area. In a living room with four 4m × 2.4m walls (38.4 m² in total), that is roughly 9.6 m², or about seven 2400 × 600mm panels. One full feature wall often gets you most of the way, and a ceiling installation adds absorption without using wall space.
Placement matters too:
- Opposite parallel hard surfaces. Two bare walls facing each other bounce sound back and forth; treating one of them helps the most.
- Behind or opposite a TV or speakers.
- Behind your desk or in camera view in a home office, to cut echo on calls.
- On the ceiling in large open-plan spaces, restaurants and offices.
Can I improve absorption further?
Yes. Mounting panels on battens with mineral wool behind them adds more absorbing material and depth. We explain how in our mineral wool installation guide. This is worth considering for home cinemas, music rooms and busy commercial spaces.
What if I need actual soundproofing?
Blocking noise between spaces depends on the wall construction itself: mass, sealing gaps around doors and windows, double glazing, or a separately built partition. Slat panels can sit on top of a soundproofed wall to handle the echo inside the room, but they are not the soundproofing layer. If you're unsure which problem you have, ask yourself: is the noise coming from outside the room (soundproofing) or is the room itself loud and echoey (absorption)?
Where slat panels make the biggest difference
- Open-plan living rooms with tiled floors and glass doors.
- Home offices for clearer video calls.
- Bedrooms, as an acoustic headboard with the 120cm half panel.
- Restaurants, bars and lodges, where noise rises as the room fills.
- Offices and meeting rooms.
Frequently asked questions
Do acoustic slat panels block noise from neighbours?
No. Slat panels absorb sound inside a room and reduce echo. Blocking noise from neighbours requires soundproofing in the wall construction itself.
How much of a room should I cover with acoustic panels?
As a guide, about 25% of the room's wall area makes a noticeable difference to echo.
Do slat panels work on ceilings?
Yes. Ceilings are an effective place for absorption, especially in large open-plan rooms. See our ceiling installation guide.
Want to hear the difference for yourself? Visit one of our showrooms, order samples, or request a quote and our team will recommend how much to cover. For sizes, finishes and prices, read our complete buyer's guide and price guide.
