Keyword:
Reverberation chamber

A reverberation chamber is designed so that reflections of equal magnitude from all directions meet at any point in the sound field. In an ideal reverberation chamber, therefore, the same sound pressure prevails at every location except for the area directly around the sound source (see reverberation radius). Such a sound field is called a diffuse field. Since the sound rays arrive from all directions at the same time, there is no sound intensity in a diffuse field. To avoid resonances in a reverberation chamber, it is generally built without parallel walls and ceilings. The room can be calibrated using reverberation time measurements or reference sound sources. This involves determining the difference between the sound pressure level measured at any point in the room, far enough outside the reverberation radius, and the sound power level of a sound source. This difference is frequency-dependent and remains unchanged as long as the structure of the room and the absorption coefficient of the walls do not change. In a reverberation chamber, the sound power of a source can therefore theoretically be determined with a single sound pressure measurement. This is very useful, for example, for questions in the field of sound insulation.