Influence of “omnidirectional” loudspeaker directivity on measured room impulse responses

Measured room impulse responses (RIR) strongly depend on the directivity of the sound source used for the measurement. An analysis method is presented that is capable of pinpointing the influence of the loudspeaker's directivity on a set of RIRs. Taking into account the rotational symmetries of a dodecahedron loudspeaker, it detects the effects that the changing directional pattern induces in the RIR. The analysis of RIRs measured in completely different acoustical environments reveals that the influence of the loudspeaker's directivity can still be observed in the very late part of the RIR-even in very reverberant rooms. These results are presented and the consistency with general room acoustical theory is revised and discussed.