Why it exists
Speech privacy is sold as a product category when it is really a spectrum of interventions with a hundredfold price range. Buyers routinely get quoted enterprise networked audio for a problem that is one doorway, or get sold a single masking speaker for a floor that needs zoning. The levels exist so a buyer can locate their own problem before anyone quotes them.
The four levels
- Level 1 — Basic privacy blocks
- Localised privacy for one room, doorway or small leakage point. Cost-optimised, appropriate when the problem is defined and bounded and enterprise control is not needed.
- Level 2 — Smarter custom audio
- Custom audio zoning across a floor or wing: several rooms, sensible control, and room to grow without committing to building infrastructure.
- Level 3 — Dedicated commercial hardware
- Purpose-built commercial systems for multi-room and multi-floor sites. Centralised control, commercial warranty posture, and something a facilities team can operate day to day.
- Level 4 — Enterprise networked (AoIP / Dante)
- Networked audio over IP for organisations that re-zone frequently, need remote support and expect IT-grade security on the system itself.
Diagnose before you prescribe
The levels only work if the level is chosen after measurement rather than before it. The order is: measure what actually leaks and by which path, then prescribe, then deploy and maintain. Most of the disappointing masking installations I have been asked to fix were prescribed first and measured never, which is also why a surprising amount of this work is retuning equipment somebody already owns rather than selling them more of it.