Numerical Simulation of Wave Fields Created by Loudspeaker Arrays

The use of loudspeaker arrays to create a spatial impression within an auditorium requires the exact knowledge of the synthesized wave field. The interaction between loudspeaker array and the enclosure can be investigated by numerical simulation. A new method for the computation of dynamical 3D sound fields is applied to obtain the impulse response from a loudspeaker array to the listening positions. 1 Introduction The creation of a three-dimensional illusion of sound sources being positioned in a virtual acoustical environment was so far restricted to binaural rendering by headphones. Advanced loudspeaker-based approaches, like the 3/2-Surround format, or Ambisonics [1] still rely on a restrained listening area, the sweet spot. A volume solution for a large listening space is offered by the Wave Field Synthesis (WFS) method, a concept developed at Delft University [2], where arrays of independently driven loudspeakers generate a prespecified soundfield. Direct sound, reflections and ..