General Theory of the Energy Relations in Halls with Asymmetrical Absorption

In this paper we describe a method of calculation of the energy relations in halls where the existence of a non-uniform distribution of absorptive material in the room results in a non-diffuse sound field. The cases of halls used for concerts and speech have both been treated in order to derive new energy relations that yield known expressions when applied to a diffuse sound field. The importance of the initial reverberation time corresponding to the first portion of the decay has been verified showing that the main subjective parameters relating to the sound energy are influenced strongly by this portion, which is called the Early Decay Time if it is measured in the first 10 dB of the decay.