Optimizing wide-area sound reproduction using a single subwoofer with dynamic signal decorrelation

A central goal in small room sound reproduction is achieving consistent sound energy distribution across a wide listening area. This is especially difficult at low-frequencies where room-modes result in highly position-dependent listening experiences. While numerous techniques for multiple-degree-of-freedom systems exist and have proven to be highly effective, this work focuses on achieving position-independent low-frequency listening experiences with a single subwoofer. The negative effects due to room-modes and comb-filtering are mitigated by applying a time-varying decorrelation method known as dynamic diffuse signal processing. Results indicate that spatial variance in magnitude response can be significantly reduced, although there is a sharp trade-off between the algorithm’s effectiveness and the resulting perceptual coloration of the audio signal.

This paper was presented at the 146th Convention of the Audio Engineering Society, as paper number 10181. The full published version can be found at http://www.aes.org/e-lib/browse.cfm?elib=20314.