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steven c wrote:
In fact, is acoustics an exact enough science that we know why one hall
sounds better than another?
Steven C. Barr
Acousticians think so. <G>
Seriously, the notorious failures have consistently derived from
compromises forced by 'the real world' - usually money in one form or
another. For example, Bort Beranek and Newman disowned Philharmonic Hall
(now Avery Fisher Hall) before it opened.
My understanding is that they know why the great halls are great, but
reproducing one is economically out of the question - too much money per
seat. The solution today is to use electronics which can be tuned to
simulate a fine hall; the results have been debatable even when a highly
sophisticated setup has been set up by experts.