Comparative study of European concert halls: correlation of subjective preference with geometric and acoustic parameters

Abstract

We describe a subjective preference evaluation of European concert halls and attempt to correlate the subjective data with objective (geometric and acoustic) parameters of the halls. For the subjective evaluations, reverberation-free magnetic-tape recordings of a symphony orchestra are played from the stage of the hall and recorded at the “eardrums” of a specially designed dummy head with realistic surface impedance of the ear canal and pinnae. These recordings are electronically processed such that, when played back over two selected loudspeakers in an anechoic chamber, the recorded signals are recreated at the eardrums of a human listener. This method of recording and reproduction makes possible instantaneous comparison of the acoustic qualities of different halls under realistic free-field listening conditions on the basis of identical musical source material. Listeners of differing degrees of musical training make preference judgments of musical quality in paired-comparison tests. The raw preference data are subjected to multidimensional factor analysis yielding one “consensus preference” factor and several “individual difference” factors. Results are reported of correlations of the consensus preference with objective parameters of the halls (volume, width, reverberation time, initial time-delay gap, “definition,” and “interaural coherence”).