What makes a Schroeder diffuser a diffuser?

A Schroeder diffuser is a structure comprising a number of wells of different, carefully chosen depths. As a soundwave strikes the irregular surface, instead of bouncing off it like a mirror, it bounces out of each well at a slightly different time. The result is many small reflections, spread out in both time and space.

What does a Schroeder reflection phase grating do?

Schroeder Diffusers. Often called reflection phase gratings, these panels scatter sound waves. A Schroeder diffuser is a structure comprising a number of wells of different, carefully chosen depths.

What is the operating range of a diffuser?

The operating range of a single diffuser is limited to about four octaves because, if the deepest well is deeper than about fifteen times its width, it begins to behave as an absorber.

Why did Schroeder choose Narrow halls for his research?

One of their findings was that listeners like the sound of long, narrow halls better than that of wide halls. Perhaps the reason for this, Schroeder reasoned, is related to another finding that listeners prefer to hear somewhat different signals at each of their two ears.