Room acoustics and its impact on our lives
The rooms have different acoustic parameters. Especially in new, spacious and poorly furnished rooms, the phenomenon of reverberation may occur. This affects, for example, the quality of music played. Therefore, it is recommended to take room acoustical measurements before installing audio equipment. But that's not the only problem with reverberation. It also has a real impact on our quality of life. How is that possible? What are the acoustic measurements?
Tiresome echo
Reverberation, or multiple reflections of sound, actually occurs in every interior. However, as has already been said, we can apparently observe this phenomenon in new, empty rooms. This is because the reverberation is to a certain extent eliminated by filling the room with furniture and carpets. The phenomenon of reverberation makes the room echo, which makes us feel acoustic discomfort. Interestingly, sometimes we don't even realize how serious the reverberation in our home is. It is a phenomenon which is a serious disruption of everyday life, can ruin our sleep, social meeting, or time spent studying. A person exposed to the phenomenon of reverberation for a long time becomes irritated and stressed. In addition, the reverberation in the room makes it seem harsh and more cold. And yet our house is a place where we should be able to relax and rest after a hard day and just feel good and safe.
Acoustic measurements - what are they?
If we want to determine whether a room is acoustically correct, it must be shown that it has an evenly distributed self-resonance, linear frequency characteristics and the least reverberation. For this purpose, several different parameters need to be measured. They belong to them:
⦁ Measurement of sound insulation - a test that is usually carried out during or immediately after the reception of new premises. If you can hear every step and every word of the neighbour from above in a new apartment, there is a good chance that the standards for air or impact sound insulation in this building are not met. This test should also be carried out when designing service premises in the vicinity of other premises. In this situation it is important not only to maintain an adequate sound level in the adjacent premises, but also to ensure an adequate background level inside these premises.
⦁ Measurement of reverberation time - a test performed especially in rooms with larger cubic capacity. It determines the time after which high volume noise will drop by a certain number of decibels after this signal is turned off. Reverberation time is one of the most universal acoustic parameters. Specifies how long the sound in the room will fade when the sound source is turned off. Not everyone knows that reverberation time, even in some family homes, can reach 2.0 s. Therefore, in order to correctly adapt a large room, it may be necessary to measure reverberation time.
⦁ Frequency characteristics - a study that shows the exact distribution of the room's own resonances in the bass range, as well as the reverberation frequencies for the midrange and treble.
⦁ Pulse Characteristics - a measurement that allows you to adjust the optimum listening position, taking into account the phase distortion of the reference curve.