The loudspeaker has a greater affect on the sound we hear than anything else in the audio reproduction chain, but as the room stands between listener and loudspeaker, it runs a close second for its impact on what we hear.
Much of what has been written about "classical acoustics" in textbooks has focused on large acoustical spaces such as concert halls, cathedrals, and auditoriums. Much smaller rooms that typify a home theater or multi-purpose listening room in a residential setting have not received nearly as much attention as those larger spaces, but we know that we can't apply the same "large-room" design rules and methodologies to these smaller spaces. In some cases, we even need new or different measurements. Often, these are measurements we don't have yet.
Just what is a "small room?" To an acoustician, it's pretty much anything smaller than a concert hall. Richard Rives Bird, president of audio consultancy Rives Audio says that he has generally defined it as covering rooms of less than about 8,000 cubic feet, but that it's a gray area. "The issues start to change, at some point, as the room volume changes," he explained. "The issues of large-room acoustics and small-room acoustics are almost inverted. In large-room acoustics, you are very worried about reverberation times, while in small room acoustics they are an issue, but usually much easier to control."
