Simulation and application of beam-shaped subwoofer arrays

Overview & Synopsis

This paper discusses the prediction and application of DDS-controlled, directional subwoofer arrays with configurable 3D sound radiation characteristics (e.g. cardioid, hyper-cardioid, dipole etc.). In order to optimise and control the dispersion of beam-shaped sub arrays, an accurate sound radiation model is indispensable. The radiation impedance of the transducers (i.e., the acoustic load) and the cabinet diffraction are determined by the size of the array and the relative position of the loudspeakers in the array. Besides these diffraction and coupling effects, other acoustic boundary conditions can have a significant effect too. The most common one is the ground plane condition. Therefore, the hybrid PSM-BEM model implemented in the DDA software, has been extended with an optional ground plane condition. Measurements show that the improved model yields very accurate results for various array set-ups with different radiation characteristics.