The Effects of Adding Pyramidal and Convex Diffusers on Room Acoustic Parameters in a Small Non-Diffuse Room

This paper presents an investigation of the effects of relatively large-scale pyramidal and convex-shaped diffusers on the acoustical properties of a small non-diffuse rectangular room. Room impulse responses (RIRs) were measured in various room configurations to extract the early decay time (EDT), reverberation time (T20), early-to-late arriving sound ratio (C50), and clarity (C80). The difference between the parameters measured in the empty room were chosen to be the reference, and those measured in other room configurations was calculated. Statistical analysis of the measurement results supplements the investigation to determine whether the coverage and type of diffusers contribute significantly to the variation of the acoustical parameters. The results show that adding diffusers in the room generally decreases EDT as well as T20, and increases C50 as well as C80 for both diffuser types. The statistical analysis shows that the coverage of diffusers significantly contributes to the variation of the acoustical parameters in most conditions (octave band, diffuser type). The effect of the diffuser shape is only significant for some of the conditions (at 4 kHz, the number of diffusers). The data presented demonstrate that in a small non-diffuse room the reverberation can be controlled efficiently by redirecting the sound energy towards the most absorbing surfaces.