Consumer Electronics

REVERBERATION

A sound, once started in a room, will persist by repeated reflections from the walls until its intensity is reduced to the point where it is no longer audible. If the walls are good reflectors of sound waves—for example, hard plaster or marble— the sound may continue to be audible for an appreciable time even after the original sound stops. The repeated reflection that results in this persistence of sound is called reverberation.

In an auditorium or classroom, excessive reverberation may be highly undersirable. For a given speech, sound or musical tone will continue to be heard by reverberation while the next sound is being sent forth. The practical remedy is to cover the walls with some sound absorbent material, usually a porous ...