The great European halls are very lively. I think they're able to control reflections rather than the use of heavy damping by the US. The "shoebox" is the perfect shape for sound to fill the hall.
Geffen, Disney and speaker placement
You've probably read the press about the latest acoustic renovations of New York's Philharmonic/Avery Fisher/David Geffen Hall. The brand new up-date is getting good reviews for finally repairing a stubbornly dead acoustic. And the primary "innovation": moving the orchestra forward by about 25 feet, away from the back wall. Disney Hall in LA, which has wonderful acoustics, follows the same principle.
We audiophiles know this principle: move your speakers as far out from the back wall and into the room as practicable.
However...the European "shoebox" model (e.g., Vienna's Musikverein, Amsterdam's Concertgebouw, Zürich's Tonhalle, Prague's Rudolfinum) all violate that principle! And yet, these are among the best sounding concert halls in the world.
Do you think what was done in NY and LA maps onto what we do in our listening rooms on a much smaller scale? And if so, any ideas as to why failing to do that in the great European halls is nevertheless successful?
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+1 @evank
After heart the NYP at AFH I thought they could save money by laying off the double bass players, since they were inaudible anyway |
