Envelopment in small rooms must come from recordings rather than natural reflections

Evidence

Here it is necessary to emphasize that reflections occurring in small rooms cannot alone generate a sense of true envelopment. Envelopment requires delays (more than about 80 ms) that can only be supplied by recorded signals reproduced through multiple loudspeakers. Additional room reflections of those greatly delayed signals may enhance the impression, but the initial delay and the appropriate directions must be provided in the recorded sound and an arrangement of playback loudspeakers. — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 1694 (#expands, via linked claim)

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 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Small playback rooms impose their own early reflections on recorded sound; Wide-dispersion speakers plus room reflections create listener envelopment.; Small listening rooms lack diffuse reverberation and contain only early reflections — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 477 (+5 more)

Broader Connections

• Small playback rooms impose their own early reflections on recorded sound #corroborates (0.80)
• True envelopment requires delayed signals that only multichannel playback can supply #expands (0.80) — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 1694
• Small listening rooms lack diffuse reverberation and contain only early reflections #expands (0.78) — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 477
• Wide-dispersion speakers plus room reflections create listener envelopment. #corroborates (0.75)
• Early wall reflections pin perceived sound space to room size #qualifies (0.72) — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 2283