Room size does not alter steady-state curves above 400 Hz

Evidence

Even with seat counts that range through 6, 24, 60, 114, 161, 211 and 516, there is no obvious pattern of change in steady-state room curves above about 400 Hz except the small difference in high-frequency air attenuation in the direct sound related to listening distance. Air attenuation can be calculated for any seat in any venue (see Section 12.3.6). All curves in all venues reflect expectations from anechoic data except at low frequencies where room resonances and boundary interactions dominate. Only at low frequencies are room curves revealing new information, and a basis for equalization or other forms of room mode control. — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 1338

Categorization

• DEEPTHINKING: This overturns a common assumption that bigger rooms and more seats change the measured sound field substantially. The finding that room curves only reveal new information at low frequencies is a genuinely counterintuitive, paradigmatic result for room acoustics.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 1338
• XREF: connects to: At high frequencies rooms act as irregular interference fields rather than standing-wave patterns; Room effects minimally influence steady-state response above 1 kHz; Above the transition frequency room-curve wiggles are interference, not resonances — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 412 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Room effects minimally influence steady-state response above 1 kHz #corroborates (0.95)
• Above the transition frequency room-curve wiggles are interference, not resonances #corroborates (0.82) — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 412