Large reverberant venues may compromise listeners’ ability to discern timbral qualities

Evidence

Equations 6.17 and 6.18 show that the reverberation time depends on the volume, surface area, and the average absorption coefficient in the room. However, the absorption coefficients of real materials are not constant with frequency. This means that, assuming that the room’s volume and surface area are constant with frequency, which is not an unreasonable assumption, the reverberation time in the room will also vary with frequency. This will subjectively alter the timbre of the sound in the room due to both the effect on the level of the reverberant field discussed earlier and the change in timbre as the sound in the room decays away. — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1876 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Room reverberation time varies with frequency, altering perceived timbre — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1876; Musical note duration flattens reflection thresholds much like room reverberation does; Current acoustic models cannot explain how experts distinguish fine timbre differences between instruments (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• Room reverberation time varies with frequency, altering perceived timbre #expands (0.92) — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1876
• Musical note duration flattens reflection thresholds much like room reverberation does #complicates (0.75)