Pickleball Has a Noise Problem. He's Trying to Fix It.
NPR profiles the engineers and equipment makers working to tame pickleball's signature pop — and why source-side fixes alone won't solve the property-line problem.
NPR's feature follows the inventors and acoustic engineers trying to redesign paddles, balls, and courts to reduce the impulsive "pop" that has made pickleball a noise complaint magnet. The reporting is balanced: source-side innovation helps, but it does not eliminate the issue at the property line.
Why source-side fixes are not enough
Even "quiet" paddles and foam balls reduce source levels by only a few dB(A). At 100 feet from a residence, that is rarely the difference between a complaint and silence. The math points to a layered approach: quieter equipment plus engineered perimeter mitigation.
Where SLNCR fits
USA Pickleball's Quiet Category certifies equipment that meets a lower source threshold. Pair that with a perimeter system tuned to 1.2 kHz and the property-line dose drops below the threshold of annoyance.
Read the NPR piece: https://www.npr.org/2023/06/09/1181246866/pickleball-noise-problem-courts-bats-play
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