An investigation into the identification of objective parameters correlating with the subjective functional performance of critical listening rooms

The link to subjective parameters and objective parameters in the field of room acoustics has been the source of much research. This thesis surveys some of the available objective room acoustical analysis methods, quantify their advantages and disadvantages with respect to the measurement of acoustical qualities of professionally operated critical listing rooms, and implements these methods in a range of critical listening rooms. In conjunction with the objective room analysis, a subjective component of research was also performed. A series of anechoically recorded standard instrument sounds were presented to professional listeners in their critical listening spaces with the listeners asked to alter the sounds to taste: to 'mix' the sounds. Anechoic sounds were used as they had no room effects recorded as part of the original signal. The subject, as part of the 'mixing' process , was asked to add artificial reverberation and equalisation to their taste. The original sounds were objectively compared to the 'mixed' sounds. It was hoped that this comparison would result in correlation between aspects of the objective critical listening room analysis and the subject's response to the anechoic signals when superimposed with their critical listening room acoustics as part of the 'mixing' process. The research generated multitudes of data as the objective component of the research was performed in 17 professionally operating critical listening rooms and included 4 anechoic mixing sessions with 1 subject. The discussion presented in the body of the thesis includes comparison between different room analysis methods implemented both in the laboratory and in the field and also discussion of the results of the implementation of the selected room acoustical measurement methods in the critical listening rooms measured as part of the research. Statistical comparisons were performed on different aspects of the data collected. Also discussed are the subjective responses to the anechoic stimuli and the problems in attempting to objectively analyse such complicated perceptual responses. The attempt to find an objectively measurable parameter that correlates with subjective impression was unsuccessful. More specifically, the research demonstrated the complicated relationship between the objective and subjective i n critical listening rooms.<br>