Effects of two different modeling alternatives of diffusive surfaces on the objective and perceptual evaluation of the simulated sound fields

Different acoustic simulation software have been substantially improved over the last decades accounting for absorptive and diffusive acoustic properties of different surfaces. Whereas the characteristics of the absorptive surfaces have been thoroughly investigated and implemented, the diffusive surface features are still subject to continuous research. So far, the degree of modeling detail of diffusive surfaces, and consequently, the effects that this has on the objective and subjective accuracy of simulations is an open point. In order to give more insight on this aspect, Odeon acoustic simulations have been performed in the model of a variable-acoustic concert hall using a diffusive and a reflective condition of one of the lateral walls. Two different modeling alternatives of the wall diffusive condition have been investigated. Objective acoustic parameters, such as early decay time (EDT), reverberation time (T 30), clarity (C 80), definition (D 50), and interaural cross correlation (IACC), have been c...