diff --git a/code/game/sound.dm b/code/game/sound.dm
index fa9a41ebb5e..a39e34ee3f9 100644
--- a/code/game/sound.dm
+++ b/code/game/sound.dm
@@ -1,28 +1,3 @@
-
-///Default override for echo
-/sound
-	echo = list(
-		0, // Direct
-		0, // DirectHF
-		-10000, // Room, -10000 means no low frequency sound reverb
-		-10000, // RoomHF, -10000 means no high frequency sound reverb
-		0, // Obstruction
-		0, // ObstructionLFRatio
-		0, // Occlusion
-		0.25, // OcclusionLFRatio
-		1.5, // OcclusionRoomRatio
-		1.0, // OcclusionDirectRatio
-		0, // Exclusion
-		1.0, // ExclusionLFRatio
-		0, // OutsideVolumeHF
-		0, // DopplerFactor
-		0, // RolloffFactor
-		0, // RoomRolloffFactor
-		1.0, // AirAbsorptionFactor
-		0, // Flags (1 = Auto Direct, 2 = Auto Room, 4 = Auto RoomHF)
-	)
-	environment = SOUND_ENVIRONMENT_NONE //Default to none so sounds without overrides dont get reverb
-
 /**
  * playsound is a proc used to play a 3D sound in a specific range. This uses SOUND_RANGE + extra_range to determine that.
  *
@@ -185,9 +160,10 @@
 			var/area/A = get_area(src)
 			sound_to_use.environment = A.sound_environment
 
-		if(use_reverb && sound_to_use.environment != SOUND_ENVIRONMENT_NONE) //We have reverb, reset our echo setting
-			sound_to_use.echo[3] = 0 //Room setting, 0 means normal reverb
-			sound_to_use.echo[4] = 0 //RoomHF setting, 0 means normal reverb.
+		if(!use_reverb || sound_to_use.environment == SOUND_ENVIRONMENT_NONE)
+			sound_to_use.echo ||= new /list(18)
+			sound_to_use.echo[3] = -10000
+			sound_to_use.echo[4] = -10000
 
 	if(HAS_TRAIT(src, TRAIT_SOUND_DEBUGGED))
 		to_chat(src, span_admin("Max Range-[max_distance] Distance-[distance] Vol-[round(sound_to_use.volume, 0.01)] Sound-[sound_to_use.file]"))