The Fear of ‘Being Heard’#
After finishing a web meeting, have you ever suddenly felt anxious?
“Was that meeting audible in the next room?”
“If client names or confidential information leaked through the wall…”
This “fear of causing harm” is an unspoken concern that many remote workers carry.
The “meeting room” that was taken for granted in the office—an isolated space—doesn’t exist at home. If you speak loudly in the living room or bedroom, that sound transmits through walls to adjacent rooms or neighboring homes. Your home has unknowingly become a place of tension where you fear “invisible monitors.”
This article will explain why sound leakage from web meetings occurs, what level of sound insulation performance is necessary, and concrete soundproofing techniques to secure confidentiality while regaining peace of mind.
The ‘Dual Anxiety’ of Sound Leakage#
Fear of Harming Neighbors#
Since starting remote work, have you been careful about speaking at home?
Morning 9 AM online meetings. Evening discussions. Late-night meetings with overseas contacts. Web meetings don’t choose time slots. However, to neighbors in adjacent or upper/lower floors, your “work voice” is just “noise.”
Especially in Japanese rental apartments or condominiums, neighbors live separated by a single wall. If voices are audible, neighbors will feel uncomfortable. Even more so at night.
“What if they complain?”
“What if they harass me?”
This fear of causing harm definitely reduces your work performance. During meetings, you suppress your tone, hesitate to make important statements, and are constantly controlled by tension wondering “am I being heard?” You can’t demonstrate your true capabilities this way.
Risk of Confidential Information Leakage#
Another serious problem is the risk of confidential information leakage.
The content you discuss in web meetings includes client names, project details, contract amounts, strategic information—things that must not leak outside. What if it’s heard through the wall next door?
Japanese condominium walls transmit sound more than you think. Especially in older properties or cost-reduced construction, wall sound insulation performance is low, and even the content of adjacent room conversations can sometimes be understood.
Company information management regulations state “manage confidential information appropriately,” but they don’t anticipate sound leakage from remote work. If information leakage is discovered, your own responsibility may be questioned.
Understanding Required Sound Insulation Performance by ‘Dr-Value’#
What Is Dr-Value?#
There’s an indicator called “Dr-value (Sound Transmission Loss Rating)” that represents soundproofing performance. This quantifies how well walls and floors can block sound, with larger numbers indicating higher sound insulation performance.
| Dr Value | Insulation Performance | How It Sounds |
|---|---|---|
| Dr-25 | Low | Conversation content clearly audible |
| Dr-30 | Medium | Conversation faintly audible |
| Dr-35 | High | Loud voices barely audible |
| Dr-50 | Very High | Shouting becomes whisper-level |
Walls between adjacent units in typical Japanese condominiums are said to be around Dr-40 to Dr-50, but properties with only about Dr-30 exist depending on age and construction cost.
Sound Insulation Performance Needed for Web Meetings#
So what level of sound insulation performance is necessary to prevent web meeting sound leakage?
First, let’s check voice loudness levels.
- Normal conversation: 60-70dB
- Slightly louder voice (web meetings): 70-80dB
- Loud voice / shouting: 80-90dB
In web meetings, since you speak somewhat loudly toward the microphone, it’s considered about 80dB.
To attenuate this to “whisper level (30dB)” in the adjacent room requires Dr-50 sound insulation performance. That is, 80dB - 50dB = 30dB.
With Dr-50, your voice is almost inaudible in the adjacent room. This is the standard for achieving “confidentiality assurance” and “liberation from fear of causing harm.”
Typical Residential Walls Are Insufficient#
However, in reality, not many residential walls have Dr-50 performance.
Especially the following types of Japanese properties are likely to have insufficient sound insulation performance:
- Properties over 30 years old
- Wooden apartments
- Light steel frame construction properties
- Low-price range rental properties
In these properties, adjacent room conversations are sometimes audible including content, and naturally your voice is also completely audible next door.
Unit-Type Soundproof Rooms as a ‘Mental Shelter’#
What Is a Unit-Type Soundproof Room?#
For genuinely preventing sound leakage, the most reliable option is a unit-type soundproof room.
A unit-type soundproof room is a “box-shaped soundproof space” installed inside an existing room. Manufactured by Japanese companies like Yamaha, Kawai, Daiken, and Kawai Musical Instruments, they have the following features:
- No construction required: Assembly type, installable even in rentals
- High sound insulation performance: Dr-30 to Dr-35 (conversation barely audible level)
- Relocatable: Can be disassembled and moved when relocating
- Performance guarantee: Manufacturers measure and guarantee sound insulation performance
Size and Price Range#
Unit-type soundproof rooms come in various sizes according to use.
| Size | Use | Price Range | Sound Insulation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.8 tatami | Desk + chair only | From ¥770,000 (~$5,300 USD) | Dr-30 |
| 1.2 tatami | Desk + small storage | From ¥900,000 (~$6,200 USD) | Dr-35 |
| 1.5 tatami | Spacious work area | From ¥1,000,000 (~$6,900 USD) | Dr-35 |
| 2.0 tatami | Desk + bookshelf + margin | From ¥1,300,000 (~$9,000 USD) | Dr-35 to Dr-40 |
For web meetings, the minimum 0.8 tatami size (from ¥770,000) is sufficient. As long as there’s space to place a desk and chair and arrange a monitor and keyboard, you can work comfortably.
Confidentiality Assurance and Psychological Peace#
The greatest merit of unit-type soundproof rooms is not just “sound leakage prevention.” It’s the functions of “confidentiality assurance” and being a “mental shelter.”
With Dr-30 or higher sound insulation performance, web meeting voices almost don’t leak outside. You can safely discuss client information, contract details, strategic discussions—any confidential information.
And above all, the psychological effect of being freed from the fear of “being heard” is immeasurable.
Inside a soundproof room, you’re free to speak. No need to worry about tone, no need to worry about time of day. This “mental freedom” dramatically improves work performance.
Limitations and Cautions of Simple Measures#
Sound-Absorbing Materials Won’t Prevent Sound Leakage#
Because unit-type soundproof rooms are expensive, many people want to try simple measures first. However, caution is needed here.
Commercially available “sound-absorbing materials” and “sound-absorbing panels” have almost no effect in preventing sound leakage to the outside.
Sound-absorbing materials suppress sounds generated in a room from reflecting off walls and echoing. Sponge-like materials attached to music studio walls fall into this category. While these have the effect of “adjusting room acoustics,” they have no effect in “blocking sound passing through walls.”
To prevent sound leakage, you need not “sound absorption” but “sound insulation.” Without understanding this difference, you’ll make wasteful investments.
Soundproof Curtains and Simple Partitions#
So are there no measures possible on a low budget?
The following are simple measures that can expect limited but certain effects.
Soundproof Curtains
Attenuate sound leakage from windows by about 5-10dB. However, they cannot prevent sound passing through walls.
Cost estimate: ¥5,000-¥15,000 (~$35-$100 USD)
Simple Partitions (Sound Insulation Sheets)
Installing sound insulation sheets with mass as partitions can slightly reduce sound leakage in specific directions. However, gaps form easily and effectiveness is limited.
Cost estimate: ¥10,000-¥30,000 (~$70-$200 USD)
These should be considered “better than nothing” at best and won’t provide fundamental solutions.
Avoid Nighttime Web Meetings#
When physical soundproofing measures are difficult, the most reliable method is “controlling time slots.”
Avoid web meetings at night (after 10 PM) or early morning (before 7 AM) as much as possible, or request time changes by explaining circumstances to superiors or clients in advance.
Also, when nighttime meetings are absolutely necessary, there’s the option of using external coworking spaces or private booths in shared offices.
Summary: Regaining Confidentiality and Peace of Mind#
Sound leakage from web meetings is not just a “neighbor disturbance” problem. It imposes on you the dual anxiety of fear of causing harm and risk of confidential information leakage.
To prevent sound leakage, “sound insulation” is necessary, and sound-absorbing materials cannot solve it. Required sound insulation performance is about Dr-50, but typical Japanese residential walls often don’t meet this.
Fundamental solutions are the following two:
- Unit-type soundproof room introduction: From ¥770,000 for 0.8 tatami size, Dr-30 or higher sound insulation
- Controlling time slots and locations: Avoid nighttime meetings, use external spaces
Unit-type soundproof rooms are expensive, but this is not mere “soundproofing equipment.” It’s a “shelter for securing confidentiality and regaining peace of mind.”
Investment in soundproofing is not a “luxury” but a “necessary expense” to protect your work quality, information management responsibility, and mental well-being.
First, try experiencing a soundproof room at a nearby Japanese music store. Manufacturers like Yamaha and Kawai offer services where you can enter soundproof rooms in stores and experience the silence.
In that silence, you should truly feel the “sense of security of being able to speak freely.”