The acoustic quality of a concert hall has frequently posed a mysterious
puzzle, namely, what physical aspects of the sound field can produce
superior sound for the listener. The author has been probing for more
than adecade into the subjective qualities preferred for musical and
speech sounds. The result of his extensive investigations - the
discovery that four and only four independent parameters contribute
effectively to good acoustics - is summarized in the present book. The
capability of calculating acoustical quality at any seat in a proposed
concert hall is a unique and quite useful aspect of Ando's design
method. Alternative architectural schemes can be compared based on the
number of seats which exceeds a previously accepted minimum standard of
acoustical quality.