Baroque mansions achieved balanced acoustics through wood paneling absorbing low frequencies

Evidence

The early builders built with ear as well as eye. The exceptional acoustics of the Greek amphitheaters, of which the Asclepius theater at Epidaurus is perhaps the best example, do not prove that acoustics had been totally mastered in ancient Greece, but they do show that a general philosophy of building existed in which acoustic considerations helped determine the form and siting of the structure. In the empty amphitheater at Epidaurus the sound of a pin dropping can be heard distinctly in each of the 14,000 seats—an assertion I have put to the test. — Schafer, Murray R, The Soundscape- Our Sonic Environment…, 721 (#expands, via linked claim)

Equation 6.16 gives us the time between surface interactions, and at each of these interactions, α is the proportion of the energy absorbed, where α is the average absorption coefficient discussed earlier. If α of the energy absorbed at the surface, then (1 − α) is the proportion of the energy reflected back to interact with further surfaces. At each surface a further proportion, α, of energy will be removed, so the proportion of the original sound energy that is reflected will reduce exponentially. The combination of the time between reflections and the exponential decay of the sound energy, through progressive interactions with the surfaces of the room, can be used to derive an expression for the length of time that it would take for the initial energy to decay by a given ratio. — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1830 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Wood grain direction drastically changes the speed of sound through the material — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 41; Ancient builders sited and shaped structures with acoustic intent. — Schafer, Murray R, The Soundscape- Our Sonic Environment…, 721; Wood’s anisotropy makes sound radiation direction- and frequency-dependent (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• Ancient builders sited and shaped structures with acoustic intent. #expands (0.75) — Schafer, Murray R, The Soundscape- Our Sonic Environment…, 721
• Wood’s anisotropy makes sound radiation direction- and frequency-dependent #expands (0.75)
• Room sound energy decays exponentially through repeated surface absorptions #expands (0.75) — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1830