The reference level of a soundtrack is 105db and 115db for the LFE channel. Most people would find these levels quite high, but not difficult to listen to, in a correctly designed home cinema room.

An issue occurs though, when we face the task of keeping the noise in the cinema room. In a residential installation, very often we find bedrooms and other living home cinema installation  areas to be right next to the home cinema room. Special room construction techniques allow us to create a sufficient noise barrier, in order to reduce any sound transmission to the adjacent rooms.

However, doors will always be the weakest point, in such an attempt. The mass, damping and stiffness of the property cinema door will determine its resistance to the passage of any sound waves. A door’s ability to cut back noise is written by its Sound transmission Class. What this means is, the higher up the Class the higher the efficiency.

Yet another problem arises though; Sound waves can travel through any opening with almost no loss. And to top it off, a little hole in a barrier would transmit almost as much sound as a bigger hole. This acoustic property of sound might be a serious problem in a home cinema installation, where high quality construction is required. That’s where acoustical gaskets come into play. A property cinema door, in order to work, the seals around the head, jamb and sill should be complete and air-tight.