A typical living room’s reverberation time rises at low frequencies, producing a boomy sound

Evidence

Many audiophiles and even some studio professionals are unaware that their sound spaces have such characteristics. Low-frequency resonances of a relatively small room (see chapter 27), with anywhere from a half up to a few wavelengths from wall to wall, can be especially strong in the 30 to 100 Hz bass region. If you have ever heard a truck idling outside with an annoying response inside a room, you have listened to one of these resonances. Between the resonance frequencies, the bass response is actually reduced, as we know from the modeling clay, or “rob Peter to pay Paul” principle (see section 11.3). The low-frequency resonances can cause the most expensive system to sound muddy or boomy. — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 1266 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Equations 6.17 and 6.18 show that the reverberation time depends on the volume, surface area, and the average absorption coefficient in the room. However, the absorption coefficients of real materials are not constant with frequency. This means that, assuming that the room’s volume and surface area are constant with frequency, which is not an unreasonable assumption, the reverberation time in the room will also vary with frequency. This will subjectively alter the timbre of the sound in the room due to both the effect on the level of the reverberant field discussed earlier and the change in timbre as the sound in the room decays away. — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1876 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Every room has a low-frequency limit below which reverberation time is meaningless; Room low-frequency resonances make expensive audio systems sound muddy or boomy — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 1266; Room reverberation time varies with frequency, altering perceived timbre — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1876 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Room low-frequency resonances make expensive audio systems sound muddy or boomy #corroborates (0.95) — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 1266
• Room reverberation time varies with frequency, altering perceived timbre #expands (0.75) — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1876
• Low-frequency room resonances drive roughly 30 percent of perceived sound quality #expands (0.70)