Front-to-rear movement of reverberation in a concert hall

Abstract

In some concert halls one can perceive a front-to-rear movement of late reverberation as noted by T. J. Schultz [J. Sound Vib. 43, 555–561 (1975)]. Listening tests show that the effect is not likely to be due to timbral change but rather to result from the spatial properties of the reverberant field. The effect can be noted as a change in late center time as a function of lateral angle of incidence of reverberant sound. The effect is likely to be a result of the scattering characteristics of hall surfaces. Measurements using a simplified scale model support this hypothesis. Measurements in Boston’s Symphony Hall yield similar results. [Work supported by RPI.]