Measurement of transient response of rooms and comparison with geometrical acoustic models

The transient responses of rooms obtained from measurements and geometrical room acoustic models are compared. The conventional image model was modified in order to include interference in the modeling process by accounting for the amplitude and phase changes produced at each reflection. This “phase image model” has the capability to find the simulated pressure impulse response of a modeled room. In order to validate this model, some theoretical analyses and measurements were first carried out on a single reflecting surface. Finally the pressure impulse responses and energy impulse responses were measured in real rooms and these were compared with those from the phase image model and the conventional models. It is shown that the inclusion of complex reflections in the phase image model greatly increases the accuracy of the predictions. In this work Gabor pulses are used as the optimal source strength signals, enabling comparison between measurements and room acoustic models.