Perceptual significance of seat-dip effect related direct sound coloration in concert halls

Abstract

In concert halls, the spectrum of direct sound (here 0 to 15 ms) is influenced by the seat-dip effect that causes selective low frequency attenuation. The seat-dip effect has been considered to be detrimental to the acoustic quality of halls, yet there is little evidence about the perceptual significance of the effect. This paper studies the discrimination and preference of seat-dip effect related changes in the direct sound, with realistic auralization of multichannel anechoic orchestra recordings in halls measured with the loudspeaker orchestra. Comparisons are made with a free-field direct sound and direct sound magnitude changes typically associated with the seat-dip effect. Overall, the differences were not significantly audible, except with a subgroup of participants in one out of four halls, and two out of three comparisons. Furthermore, participants' preference for the uncolored direct sound was significant in the halls with less reflected energy, but non-significant in the halls with more reflected energy. The results imply that for most seats in adequately reverberant halls, typical seat-dip effect related coloration in the direct sound can be perceptually negligible.

Investigating the influence of seating area design and enclosure on the seat-dip effect using scale model measurements

“…This is an important consideration in particular in concert halls with less reflected energy. Shoebox-shaped halls tend to provide sufficient reflected energy to compensate for the SDE, both perceptually and objectively, while this may not be the case for other hall types [7,10]. In fact, in these scale model measurements with the shoebox-shaped hall, the reflections from the box reduce the differences between the seating area designs.…”

“…[1][2][3][4][5][6]). The SDE may be perceptually significant in halls with insufficient reflected sound energy [7], and a threshold of audibility for the main attenuation dip has been obtained using simulated concert halls with relatively short reverberation times [8].…”

Recent studies on the seat-dip effect: Analysis and perception

“…In a recent work by the present author, the two different seat-dip profiles observed in the concert hall measurements were studied together with a reference free-field sound in a listening test in anechoic room with a spatial sound reproduction system with two shoebox-type halls and two vineyard-type halls [12]. The first 15 ms of the sound (here referred to as direct sound), was replaced with three versions: free-field, wide attenuation, and narrow attenuation.…”

Architectural Features That Make Music Bloom in Concert Halls

“…Reverberation later makes up for this dip in the frequency response, but depending on the seat geometry the filling is more or less complete. However, it seems that the seat dip is not perceived when the hall has enough reverberation [38], but it affects the level of sound below 100 Hz. When sound can pass under the seats, this "seat-dip effect" occurs at a higher frequency range (typically over 150 Hz) and it is not so detrimental to bass instruments.…”