Auditorium speaker placement creates extreme sound level variation from front to back

Evidence

Another name for these standing waves in a room is resonant modes, and the frequencies at which they occur are known as “modal frequencies.” Because the modes are spatially static, there will be a strong variation of sound pressure level as one moves around the room, which is undesirable. — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1953 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: The listening room’s influence is suppressed during multichannel playback; Movies reach audiences through many mismatched sound systems, breaking the calibration loop; Room boundaries alter loudspeaker output through reflected image sources (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• Mounting speakers higher with directivity reduces but cannot eliminate venue SPL variation #qualifies (0.85)
• Room boundaries alter loudspeaker output through reflected image sources #expands (0.82)
• Spatially static resonant modes cause sound level to vary across a room #corroborates (0.80) — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1953