Acoustics+Vocabulary

Auditory strength is the level at which we experience sound. A reverberant room gives a higher sound level than a room with added sound absorption.
 * Auditory strength**


 * Reverberance**

Reverberance is linked to the speed at which sound energy disappears in a room. An unfurnished room with hard surfaces, such as a church, is perceived as being more reverberant than a well-furnished living room.



**Room acoustics** Room acoustics are about the way in which sound behaves in a room. Sound transmission, sound absorption, sound reflection and sound diffusion are all aspects that are important here. Room acoustics also include how we as humans perceive different acoustic phenomena.

**Room acoustic design** The shape, size, surface finish and furnishings of a room all determine its acoustic properties. Room acoustic design involves controlling these factors, thus influencing sound absorption, reflection, propagation and diffusion in order to support a certain type of function or activity.

**Different acoustic room types** Different types of room will create such different sound fields that this in itself requires different descriptors if a meaningful evaluation is to be made. The list of actual types of rooms can of course be made very long but, if we restrict ourselves to the most common ones, three different basic acoustic types can be identified.

The first is a room with little sound absorption, a “hard room” in which the surfaces reflect most of the noise.



Another type of room which is much more common is a room with a sound-absorbing ceiling. This type acts differently than the hard room and, as a rule, requires several descriptors for an acoustic assessment.



A third type is a room with extended forms such as open-plan areas and corridors.


 * Speech clarity**

Speech clarity concerns the quality of speech transfer to the listeners. In a reverberant room with disturbing background noise, it can be difficult to pick up speech.