Reverberant fields typically color perceived sound with excess bass that equalization must fix

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: Small bass-level changes strongly alter perceived spectral balance; Pure diffuse-field calibration yields inadequate bass and low preference ratings; Tube amplifiers audibly color loudspeakers as those become more neutral — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 43 (+5 more)

Broader Connections

• Room reverberation time varies with frequency, altering perceived timbre #expands (0.75) — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1876