Does a monitor arm help or hinder acoustics in an open-plan office?

A monitor arm itself has a negligible acoustic effect. However, the desk setup it enables — by clearing the desk surface and elevating the monitor — can marginally affect acoustics in two ways: (1) The cleared desk surface reflects more sound than a desk with a monitor stand and piles of materials; this is a negligible effect; (2) The monitor can serve as a subtle visual screen between workstations when positioned on the arm, slightly reducing direct sightlines that correlate with speech intelligibility. For meaningful acoustic improvement in open plans, dedicated acoustic panels, sound masking systems, and soft ceiling surfaces are required — the monitor arm is not an acoustic solution. OfficeFurniture2go.com focuses on mechanical ergonomics for monitor arms — call 1-800-460-0858.