Reverberation time, explained
Reverberation time is how long sound keeps bouncing after the source stops. In a small enclosure it is the difference between a pod that sounds normal on a video call and one that sounds like a stairwell, and almost nobody asks about it.
What it measures
Reverberation time, usually written RT60, is how many seconds it takes for sound to fall by 60 decibels after the source stops. A cathedral might be five seconds. A well-treated office is around 0.5. A recording studio is well under 0.3.
Inside a pod the figure should be low, because the space is tiny and the surfaces are close. Under 0.4 seconds is the range where speech stays clear and a microphone does not pick up a room.
Why it decides whether people like the pod
This is the number behind the complaint people cannot articulate. They say the pod sounds strange, or that they sound bad on calls in it, and what they are describing is reverberation. A glass box with no absorbent lining can be perfectly private and still be unpleasant to speak in, and unpleasant is what stops people using it.
It is also why absorption inside matters even though it does nothing for privacy. The two work on different problems and you need both.
FocusPod's accessible model is specified at under 0.4 seconds, and the absorbent interior lining across the range is doing this job rather than the privacy one.
Using this number in a South African office pod quote
Check what the acoustic figure measures before comparing suppliers. An NRC figure concerns the interior finish, while a panel insulation rating does not include a pod's door, seals or ventilation. For conversation privacy, request the speech level reduction result measured on the assembled pod under ISO 23351-1 and confirm it belongs to the quoted model.
For a South African installation, plan the floor space, door and lift access, power connection and delivery route. Ask for the pod, furniture, freight and installation as separate rand items, with VAT treatment clear on the quotation. That pairs the acoustic evidence with a workable delivered plan.
Where FocusPod stands
Greater than 29 dB speech level reduction across the range, laboratory tested under ISO 23351-1, measured on the assembled pod with the ventilation running. The accessible model tests at 30 dB, Class A, with reverberation under 0.4 seconds. Test reports are available on request for any model you are specifying.
The rest of the terms
Every acoustic term you will meet in a pod quotation, explained the same way.