YES! Here is a summary followed by the full report.
PB Muffler® PERFORMANCE REPORT: Robert M Unetich, PE
SUMMARY:
“If you are in a situation where the quietest paddles can be required and the paddles
do not need to be tournament approved, the choice of the Q1 and Monarch
combination is worth considering. The PB Muffler® on your current paddle
with a Monarch ball is a budget friendly alternative for delivering next best
results. “
(The PB Muffler® rated as the “next best ‘QUIET play alternative” is under $40
allowing use of your current USAPA 24 inch rule approved paddle compared to
When available, purchasing a new Q-1 paddle is reported to cost $169.)
REPORT DATE: SEPTEMBER 6, 2023
Last week we ran a series of sound tests on some of the quietest pickleball gear
available, including the Master Athletics Q1 paddle and the PB Muffler® attached to
several different paddles, along with tests comparing a harder ball, the Franklin-X,
and a softer (but USA Pickleball approved) ball, the Monarch Outdoor ball. We did
these tests using an ordinary 1/2 inch thick fiberglass-faced paddle (which was a
Paddletek Element) with the Frankiln-X ball as our reference sound level (which we
will call zero dB below). Here are our observations:
If the reference paddle sound with a hard hit was zero dB, the switch to the Monarch
ball on the same paddle reduced the sound level by about 3 dB. Inserting one black
foam pad into the PB Muffler® dropped the sound level for hard hits by about 3 more dB.
That increased to 4 decibels when the recommended two pad layers of black foam
were inserted in the Muffler. It is worth noting that the PB Muffler® drops the sound
level over the reference paddle even more with softer hits, or about 7 dB during our
tests, but let’s recognize that even in recreational play it is the hard hits that trouble
the neighbors.
The Master Athletics Q1 dropped the sound level by 3.7 dB with the Franklin-X ball
and another 4 dB with the Monarch ball, for a total reduction of almost 8
decibels. This was the quietest combination tested. Adding the PB Muffler® to the Q1
had little effect, since it seems to primarily decrease the sound level of higher pitch
paddles and the Q1 has a pitch about 2 octaves below the reference paddle. In terms
of actual data, we saw no reduction in sound level when the Q1 and Monarch ball
were compared to the Q1 and Monarch ball with the PB Muffler® installed. This
indicates that the PB Muffler® mainly decreases the sound level of higher pitch
vibrations, making it a means of quieting the sound of pickleball in a comparatively
acceptable 4-5 decibel range without forcing the purchase of new paddles.
If you are in a situation where the quietest paddles can be required and the paddles
do not need to be tournament approved, the choice of the Q1 and Monarch
combination is worth considering. The PB Muffler® on your current paddle with a
Monarch ball is a budget friendly alternative for delivering next best results.
Bob Unetich
PROFILE: Robert M Unetich, PE
Bob is the founder of PSM LLC. He is a registered professional engineer and he has
worked in consulting for over 40 years. In 2014, he became an avid pickleball
player and was asked to investigate ways that the sound of pickleball might be
reduced in level at residences near his winter home in Florida. That work involved
careful analysis of work done by acoustics engineers and at methods of reducing the
level of annoyance experienced by neighbors of pickleball courts. This led to a study
of how pickleball sounds are generated and propagated.
He has now been working in pickleball sound mitigation since 2014 and frequently
offers pickleball product testing results, advice, and formal consulting services to
communities, pickleball clubs, and those living near established pickleball courts and
locations considering or being converted to pickleball courts.
Bob is a respected and sought-after pickleball sound mitigation professional. He is a
USA Pickleball Certified Referee, an Ambassador, and a PPR Certified Pickleball
Instructor. Bob initiated, monitors, and responds to pickleball inquiries and related
issues on the Facebook Sound Mitigation page.