Common problems associated with reverberation rooms in sound testing laboratories

Abstract

Reverberation rooms have proven to be a very useful tool in acoustic laboratories for measuring the sound absorption of acoustic materials, airborne and impact sound transmission through building partitions, as well as measuring the overall radiated sound power level of a wide variety of sound sources. The primary benefit of a reverberation room is that the measurement can be made in much less time than with alternative environments (e.g., anechoic or hemi-anechoic chambers, or via acoustic intensity). The primary disadvantage of the reverberation room measurements is that all information regarding the directivity of the acoustic source is lost. This paper discusses some of the design and acoustical performance problems that are often found in reverberation rooms that could have been avoided with proper foresight. Issues that will be discussed include location relative to nearby noise and ground vibration sources, room size and shape, space planning for microphone locations, low frequency absorbers, and the importance of temperature and humidity control. Specific guidelines that should be followed when planning a new reverberation room will be provided.