Sound diffracts strongly only when wavelengths exceed opening size

Evidence

In the context of loudspeaker design it is the bounded to unbounded case that is important as this is what happens when a sound wave from a loudspeaker reaches the edge of the front face of an enclosure. In this situation, the wave is making a transition from being bounded by the front of the enclosure to being unbounded, as shown in Figure 6.63. The con­ sequential reflections cause disturbances to the frequency response of the loudspeaker because they interfere with the main output. — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 2199 (#exemplifies, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Short wavelengths escape open pipe ends while long wavelengths reflect back; Sound waves diffracting at speaker cabinet edges distort the frequency response — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 2199; Effective sound diffusion demands surface depths proportional to the target wavelength (+4 more)

Broader Connections

• Sound waves diffracting at speaker cabinet edges distort the frequency response #exemplifies (0.82) — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 2199
• Effective sound diffusion demands surface depths proportional to the target wavelength #expands (0.80)
• Even quarter-wavelength diffuser depths are too large for low frequencies #corroborates (0.78)
• Sound near walls or large vessels is enhanced by scattering regardless of resonator tuning #complicates (0.75)