R&D Stories: Acoustic Diffusion Research

This article offers a valuable inside perspective about developing new diffuser solutions, and lessons learned while designing countless critical listening rooms around the world. A journey that lead to the creation of the PolyFlex diffuser, which will scatter either horizontally or vertically, depending on the orientation, and improve clarity in speech and spatial focus without making a room sound dead and/or small. The author was actively involved in multiple acoustics standards committees, including for testing procedures.

Following a first R&D article, where Norman Varney discusses the basic principles of unwanted vibrations in audio playback environments, in this second part he writes about what his research found to be effective ways to counteract those effects. The article details the evaluation process and extensive measurements that lead to the creation of various products that AV RoomService provides when helping clients with their acoustic problems. This article was originally published in audioXpress, September 2019.

In this article, Norman Varney discusses the basic principles of unwanted vibrations in audio playback environments. "When we play back audio, we only want to hear sound waves created from the electromechanical vibrations produced by the loudspeaker. They are the result and intention of the artists. They are the original signals. These are good vibrations. However, for this article, we will focus on the basic principles of unwanted vibrations of audio playback environments," states Varney in the article introduction, originally published in audioXpress, August 2019