A SOUNDPROOF room specially constructed so that its walls, ceiling and floor effectively absorb all sounds striking them, and which is thereby essentially free from REVERBERATION. As it is natural for sound to reverberate, the dead quality of an anechoic chamber produces an effect on visitors, variously reported as uncomfortable, disorienting or even frightening. Once adapted to, however, such an acoustic environment has been reported to increase concentration and relaxation significantly.
Anechoic chambers are generally used for testing microphones and loudspeakers or other sound-producing devices when the absence of reflection is desirable.
See: DEAD ROOM, FREE FIELD, SOUND INSULATION. Compare: DIFFUSE SOUND FIELD, ECHO CHAMBER.
Sound
Example: A brick struck in an anechoic
chamber.
Sound Example: Same brick struck in a reverberant room.
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