Room low-frequency resonances make expensive audio systems sound muddy or boomy

Evidence

Many audiophiles and even some studio professionals are unaware that their sound spaces have such characteristics. Low-frequency resonances of a relatively small room (see chapter 27), with anywhere from a half up to a few wavelengths from wall to wall, can be especially strong in the 30 to 100 Hz bass region. If you have ever heard a truck idling outside with an annoying response inside a room, you have listened to one of these resonances. Between the resonance frequencies, the bass response is actually reduced, as we know from the modeling clay, or “rob Peter to pay Paul” principle (see section 11.3). The low-frequency resonances can cause the most expensive system to sound muddy or boomy. — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 1266

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the reader’s audio/room-acoustics knowledge and to chapter 27 and section 11.3 referenced internally. — connects to: Low-frequency room resonances drive roughly 30 percent of perceived sound quality; Room resonance excess masks loudspeaker bass deficiency to listeners — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 549; Low-Q subwoofer resonances are audible mainly as spectral balance shifts (+5 more)
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 1266

Broader Connections

• Low-frequency room resonances drive roughly 30 percent of perceived sound quality #corroborates (0.90)
• Room resonance excess masks loudspeaker bass deficiency to listeners #expands (0.85) — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 549
• Low-Q subwoofer resonances are audible mainly as spectral balance shifts #qualifies (0.80)