ABSTRACT
The next several chapters examine how sound propagates from a source to a listener in a refl ective space and how those sounds are perceived when they arrive at the ears. We will fi nd that technical measurements of the propagation path show enormous “fl aws” that, over the years, made people believe that refl ected sound is an “error” in need of immediate and expensive elimination. As discussed earlier, the development of porous absorbers in the 1930s led to a popular belief that acoustical room treatment begins with a large stack of fi berglass. In the author’s opinion this approach has some value and should be applied to the interior of many popular restaurants within which conversation is all but impossible, especially for those with deteriorating hearing. However, for normal living and listening spaces, time has shown that a certain amount of refl ected sound is not only welcome but expected. In performance spaces, refl ections are essential. Arthur Benade (1984) had a wonderful clarity of insight into sound in rooms, some of which is embodied in Figure 5.1, which is a clear statement that no linear relationship exists between what we measure in a room and what may be perceived in that room.
