A benchmark study on room acoustic simulations with various material inputs

This work investigates and evaluates the capabilities of an explicit finite-difference time-domain (FDTD), a fast multipole indirect boundary element method (FMBEM), and a ray acoustic solver in the context of room acoustic modeling and simulations. In room acoustic simulations, the wave-based
FDTD and FMBEM methods are known for generating accurate results at low frequencies, while the ray acoustic technique is in principle more valid at higher frequencies. The numerical aspects of setting up the solution for each solver are discussed. Special attention is given to the influence of material input data of various degrees of detail. Single/multiple frequency-independent/dependent materials are considered in the model setup. The modeling capabilities of the three solvers in handling material input with various complexities are analyzed. Numerical results are evaluated in both frequency and time domains. Room acoustic parameters, including the reverberation time, early decay time, clarity, and definition, are compared. These results are also compared with available measurement data. Last but not least, the computational efficiencies of the three solvers are briefly discussed.