What is a Soundproof Server Cabinet and how does it reduce environmental noise

What is a Soundproof Server Cabinet

Soundproof Server Cabinets (also called Acoustic Cabinets or Soundproof Server Racks) are a cost-effective solution to host IT devices in environments like retail stores, offices or hallways and receptions.

Noise from active IT equipment in a high-technology workspace or public area can increase stress, decrease productivity and impact profits. However, sometimes locating noisy network equipment near workers or visitors is unavoidable. Cost or space constraints may prohibit building and maintaining a separate server room. In situations like these, keeping the sound to a minimum can greatly improve the working environment for optimum comfort, safety and productivity.

1. Reduce environmental noise levels by 15 to 31dBA

Foam-lined soundproof server cabinets can reduce audible server and hardware noise by 15 dB to the same level as typical office background sounds. The best soundproof server cabinets can reduce noise by an incredible 31 dBA— making noisy equipment whisper-quiet. Soundproof server cabinets with this superior level of attenuation are lined with heavy-duty, multilayer composite on all inside surfaces.

2. Achieve ideal server room temperature with perfect internal heat control

One of the key features of acoustic cabinets is to protect expensive servers, network switches, UPS and other pieces of IT equipment, with a cleverly designed cooling system. Choose a soundproof server cabinet that can handle the required heat output and use AlertWerks temperature monitoring sensors to ensure maximum energy efficiency.

3. When to choose a soundproof server cabinet with passive cooling

Acoustic cabinets with passive cooling rely on the fans of the IT equipment itself. They use the temperature differential between the internal cabinet space and the room to draw ambient air from the front of the cabinet, where it flows over the equipment, and is expelled at the rear. Passive cooling allows up to 2,75kW of heat removal – suitable for devices such as network switches and UPS with a cumulative power consumption of 1.700 watts.

4. When to choose a soundproof server cabinet with active cooling

Soundproof server cabinets with active cooling are ideal for servers, blade servers, or other IT devices with a total heat output at or above of 1700 watts. They feature variable speed fans on the rear doors to deal with these increased heat loads in an energy efficient way. Acoustic server cabinets with active cooling can dissipate up to 12kW of heat load in a 42U cabinet.

Airflow Characteristic of Soundproof Server Cabinets
Cabinet Front Active/Passive Cooling	Cabinet Rear Passive Cooling	Cabinet Rear Active Cooling
Ambient air on	Exhaust air off

5. Secure your network devices with noise reduction server cabinets

Lock up your data soundproof server cabinets for security and peace of mind. Soundproof server cabinets come with separate locks for the front doors, side panels and rear fan panels to allow for easy access.

6. Save space in your environment

Floor space is usually limited and expensive. A soundproof server cabinet offers the advantages of a server room but takes up only a mere square metre of space.

On the outside, acoustic cabinets can be finished to look just like furniture, with a range of exterior finishes to match the aesthetics of your space. As an added benefit, the top provides an extra work surface. Acoustic enclosures can be located in any area without compromising the office design, including offices, receptions, hallways and retail stores.

7. Quick and easy setup

Acoustic soundproof server cabinets arrive fully assembled so you can get up and running faster. Make sure that the cabinets are shipped with load bearing castors, allowing you to easily relocate them, even after being filled with equipment

8. Save Money

Soundproof server cabinets provide a cost-effective alternative to building and maintaining a server room by allowing you to reuse your existing office space, air conditioning system and maintenance staff. When combined with our AlertWerks environmental monitoring system, they give you complete peace of mind that your servers are operating optimally – without a dedicated team of support staff.

9. Improve server acoustics

Choose an acoustic soundproof server cabinet that can held all leading servers, including blade servers. For maximum versatility, the M6 rails should be adjustable and the enclosure should have generous space for cable management.

The benefits of 31dBA noise REDUCTION

As with all soundproof enclosures, the performance of the Acoustic cabinet range relies upon the ingenuity of the enclosure design and the acoustic material used to remove as much noise emittance from the enclosed sound sources as possible. Noise is measured in decibels (dBA), where the attenuation, indicates the amount of noise that is removed from the sound source. Example: From a sound source with 69dBA noise load (equivalent to a vacuum cleaner at 3m), a 31dBA attention would reduce the audibility to 38 dBA (Equivalent to soft speech). The audibility in an office environment can rank anywhere from 48 dBA (average office without talk) to 78dBA (busy office with talk). So, a soundproof cabinet with 31 dBA attenuation can reduce the noise to whisper-level.

Black Box offers two lines of high-quality soundproof server cabinets, including the best sound attenuation available today. Browse our products to find the right solution for your office, school, medical practice or retail location.

Soundproof Server Cabinets