Higher absorption reduces the first-reflection energy that feeds the reverberant field
Evidence
The amount of sound energy available for contribution to the reverberant field is also a function of the absorption, because if there is a large amount of absorption, there will be less direct sound reflected off a surface to contribute to the reverberant field-remember that before the first reflection, the sound is direct sound. The amount of sound energy available to contribute to the reverberant field is therefore proportional to the residual energy left after the first reflection, Reverberant level is that which allows input to equal output FIGURE 6. — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1763
Categorization
- corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1763
- XREF: connects to: Real reflections are attenuated enough to tame comb filtering drastically; ASW depends most on mid-frequency reflections within the first 80 ms; Absorbing first reflections cascades to attenuate the whole reflected sound field (+11 more)
Broader Connections
- Redirecting reflections creates uneven hot spots while absorption shortens reverberation
#expands(0.85) - Room absorption determines the steady-state level of reverberant sound
#expands(0.85) — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 1781 - Reverberation time depends on both surface absorption and time between reflections
#expands(0.82) — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1824 - Low absorber rooms raise overall sound level because reverberant energy persists longer
#expands(0.80) — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1756