ABSTRACT
Nowadays there are many points of contact between room acoustics and electroacoustics even if we neglect the fact that modern measuring techniques in room acoustics could not exist without the aid of electroacoustics (loudspeakers, microphones, recorders). Thus we shall hardly ever find a meeting room of medium or large size which is not provided with a public address system for speech amplification; it matters not whether such a room is a church, a council chamber or a multi-purpose hall. We could dispute whether such an acoustical ‘prothesis’ is really necessary for all these cases or whether sometimes they are more a misuse of technical aids; it is a fact that many speakers and singers are not only unable but also unwilling to exert themselves to such an extent and to articulate so distinctly that they can make themselves clearly heard even in a hall of moderate size. Instead they prefer to rely on the microphone which is readily offered to them. But the listeners are also demanding, to an increasing extent, a loudness which will make listening as effortless as it is in broadcasting, television or cinemas. Acousticians have to come to terms with this trend and they are well advised to try to make the best of it and to contribute to an optimum design of such installations.
