New App Allows You to 'Find Your Quiet Space.'

It seems that modern restaurants tend to favor exposed duct work, open concept floor plans, and loud-bass heavy music over acoustical quality. Learn how a new app can help you ‘find your quiet place.

We’ve all been there – you’re excited to try out the popular new restaurant in your area and when you finally score a reservation, the food tastes great, but the environment is less than desirable. You were looking forward to catching up with an old friend but could barely hear what they were saying over all the noise.  It seems that modern restaurants tend to favor exposed duct work, open concept floor plans, and loud-bass heavy music over acoustical quality.

The SoundPrint app is designed to help you ‘find your quiet space’ by allowing you search for and rate the sound quality of restaurants, bars, and shops in your area. ‘It’s like yelp, but for noise,’ says the SoundPrint website.

What does it mean to be considered ‘loud’ or ‘too loud?’ Common noise guidelines suggest:

• Quiet – 70 dB or below
• Moderate – 71-75 dB
• Loud – 76-80 dB
• Very loud – 81+ dB

Very loud is the threshold when noise become unsafe for your hearing. To put it in perspective, the chart below shows some common sounds that are considered ‘very loud’ and how long it takes for them to damage your hearing.

No matter where you are, decibel reader apps like SoundPrint can help you decipher when you should be using hearing protection.