High levels of broadband random noise are generally required for conducting sound transmission loss and sound absorption tests within reverberation rooms. However, the sound system components such as loudspeakers, amplifiers, and other elements are often selected with little consideration of the audio engineering principles that govern device as well as system operation. This paper will explore some of the requirements for reverberation room sound systems starting with the acoustical power spectrum needed to overcome the transmission loss of high performance barrier assemblies, the background noise in the receiving room, the background noise floor of measuring instruments, and air absorption within the reverberation room.
This paper will then explore fundamental concepts of loudspeakers, including horn loading and compression drivers, radiation efficiency, directivity, power ratings and limits, thermal compression, crossovers, equalization, and spectral balancing resistors, and other factors that establish limits on the level of sound generation particularly at higher frequencies. In addition, traditional approaches to increasing the available signal sound power level produced within the reverberation room will be reviewed and critiqued.