Effects of the spatial information of a sound field on listener envelopment

Abstract

The spatial information of sound fields in various kinds of concert halls as virtual sound-source distributions and short-term directional diffusion factors were measured. It is clear that the spatial information in a concert hall is characterized by how the reflections surround a listener. Accordingly, the relationship between the spatial information and listener envelopment was studied. First, subjective experiments were performed using a simulated sound field in an anechoic room in order to study the effects of lateral energy ratios on listener envelopment. As a result, the lateral energy ratios were not sufficient to evaluate listener envelopment. The research demonstrates that listener envelopment is not only related to late arriving reflections but also to early reflections. In addition, listener envelopment is related to the spatial distributions of the reflections that surround a listener. Furthermore, the implications for concert hall design were discussed.