2. Limitations due to diffraction

While all loudspeaker specialists agree on the importance of diffraction in the quality of the reproduced sound field, it remains difficult to establish mathematical models that are both simple and precise enough to control and compensate for the negative effects of diffraction.

Diffraction is the phenomenon of re-emission by an element subjected to an incident wave. As such, it is particularly applicable to enclosures, where it manifests itself in several forms:

• re-emission from all sides of the loudspeaker (especially the front) excited by the loudspeaker vibrations;

• modification of the radiation of each loudspeaker under the effect of the waves emitted by the others ;

• re-emission by the edges of the front face of the grazing waves emitted by the...