Prediction of sound fields in rooms of arbitrary shape: Validity of the image sources method

Abstract

In order to find the sound pressure field in a rectangular room, the classical modal method may be applied. However, it does not apply to polyhedric rooms of any shape, to which, however, the image sources method may be applied. The two methods are compared for several geometric shapes: two parallel planes (a layer), a rectangular wave guide and a rectangular enclosure. It is shown under what conditions the image sources method can give accurate enough results. A comparison of theoretical and experimental results is presented.