Five sensitivities of the coupled volume/double sloped system

Abstract

Stop chord measurements taken in an existing coupled volume concert hall, established statistically-based formulas, ray-tracing-software simulations, and headphone listening perception/preference studies imply a fickle relationship between the coupled volume concert hall, the double-sloped sound decay, and the listener. The two halls examined in this study suggest five sensitivities of the system: (1) To produce a double sloped sound decay, the coupled volume must be exceedingly more reverberant than the main hall to which it is attached. (2) To produce a double sloped sound decay, the sonic aperture linking the coupled volume to the main hall must be exceedingly small. (3) Maintaining low levels of background noise—always essential when designing spaces for music listening—is especially important if the double sloped impulse response is to be perceived above the noise floor. (4) Listeners who sit near the apertures probably hear something different than those who sit nearer to the center of the hall. (5) It is unclear whether subjects taking a paired comparison test prefer a double sloped auralization to a classic Sabine auralization.