The aim of this paper is to present a unified approach to the calculation of the complex wavenumber for a randomly distributed ensemble of homogeneous isotropic spheres suspended in a homogeneous isotropic continuum. Three classical formulations of the diffraction problem for a compression wave incident on a single particle are reviewed; the first is for liquid particles in a liquid continuum (Epstein and Carhart), the second for solid or liquid particles in a liquid continuum (Allegra and Hawley), and the third for solid particles in a solid continuum (Ying and Truell). Equivalences between these formulations are demonstrated and it is shown that the Allegra and Hawley formulation can be adapted to provide a basis for calculation in all three regimes. The complex wavenumber that results from an ensemble of such scatterers is treated using the formulations of Foldy (simple forward scattering), Waterman and Truell, and Lloyd and Berry (multiple scattering). The analysis is extended to provide an approximation for the case of a distribution of particle sizes in the mixture. A number of experimental measurements using a broadband spectrometric technique (reported elsewhere) to obtain the attenuation coefficient and phase velocity as functions of frequency are presented for various mixtures of differing contrasts in physical properties between phases in order to provide a comparison with theory. The materials used were aqueous suspensions of polystyrene spheres, silica spheres, iron spheres, pigment (AHR), droplets of 1-bromohexadecane, and a suspension of talc particles in a cured epoxy resin.