Dipole surround speakers degraded direct sound without creating effective diffuse fields.

Evidence

Calculation of the Schroeder frequency assumes meaningful reverberation times, a strongly diffuse sound field and a volume unimpeded by large objects (furniture and people are large objects in small rooms). Small listening rooms and recording control rooms are too absorptive to have a meaningful diffuse sound field and a reverberation time—a reflection decay time would be a better description at middle and high frequencies and resonance ringing time at low frequencies. — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 477 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: True diffuse sound fields cannot form in small absorptive listening rooms; Uncorrelated ambient signals create an impression of directionless surround sound. — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 2218; Small listening rooms lack diffuse reverberation and contain only early reflections — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 477 (+2 more)

Related

• Small listening rooms lack diffuse reverberation and contain only early reflections (similarity 0.90)
• Real listening rooms produce semi-reflective fields, not free or diffuse fields (similarity 0.89)
• True diffuse sound fields cannot form in small absorptive listening rooms (similarity 0.88)
• Diffuse-field regions sound best because modes are minimal and level is even (similarity 0.87)
• Uncorrelated ambient signals create an impression of directionless surround sound. (similarity 0.86)
• In small rooms reflections arrive early and never form a diffuse field (similarity 0.86)
• Dipole surrounds only worked for one row of listening positions (similarity 0.86)
• Ceiling-reflected diffuse sound cannot substitute for real side-wall reflections (similarity 0.84)
• Diffuse surfaces make room acoustics degrade gradually away from the sweet spot (similarity 0.84)
• Envelopment in small rooms must come from recordings rather than natural reflections (similarity 0.84)
• Smaller listening areas require less acoustic absorption treatment (similarity 0.83)
• THX dipole surround speakers degraded direct sound while failing to create genuine diffusion. (similarity 0.83)
• Diffusers mainly attenuate specific reflections rather than create diffuse fields (similarity 0.83)
• In small rooms RT target 0.2-0.5 s; early reflections dominate mid-high frequencies (similarity 0.83)
• Diffuse-field equations fail in geometrically extreme rooms (similarity 0.83)

Broader Connections

• True diffuse sound fields cannot form in small absorptive listening rooms #complicates (0.85)
• Real listening rooms produce semi-reflective fields, not free or diffuse fields #corroborates (0.85)
• Small listening rooms lack diffuse reverberation and contain only early reflections #corroborates (0.80) — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 477
• Uncorrelated ambient signals create an impression of directionless surround sound. #contradicts (0.72) — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 2218