Daniel de la Prida Caballero
Architectural Acoustics Research Group
Technical University of Madrid, Spain
https://portalcientifico.upm.es/es/ipublic/researcher/308502
Standardizing Subjective Assessments in Acoustics: Why Reproducible Perception Matters Now More Than Ever
Perceptual evaluation remains one of the most powerful tools in acoustics, essential for linking physical phenomena to human experience. Yet, despite its centrality, listening tests and other kinds of perceptual tests are still designed and conducted with striking methodological variability in acoustics. Why do similar studies, sometimes even within the same domain, yield conflicting conclusions? What latent biases emerge from choices in stimuli, test protocols, participant profiles or analysis methods? Drawing from a critical review of practices in room and building acoustics, and beyond, this keynote underscores the urgent need for standardized methodologies to ensure perceptual data in acoustics is reproducible, comparable, and meaningful. In an era increasingly shaped by data-based algorithms, such as those of artificial intelligence and perceptual-based health management, reproducible perception isn’t just desirable, it’s essential.
Maximilian Neusser
Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Institute of Material Technology, Building Physics, and Building Ecology
Research Unit of Building Physics
Technische Universität Wien, Austria
www.bph.tuwien.ac.at
Acoustics in the Details – How Construction and Joint Details Influence Building Acoustic Performance
This keynote explores the critical role of construction details and building joints in determining the acoustic performance of buildings. While overall material choices and structural systems are often the focus of design, it is the subtleties—such as junctions, connections, and execution details—that frequently govern real-world sound insulation outcomes. Why do two seemingly identical constructions yield different acoustic results? How do minor deviations at joints compromise performance? Drawing from current research, measurement case studies, and practical experience, the lecture highlights how small variations in detailing can lead to significant differences in airborne and impact sound transmission.
Rok Prislan
InnoRenew CoE, Livade 6a, 6310 Izola, Slovenia
www.innorenew.eu
Understanding Reverberant Sound Fields – a Persisting Challenge for Acoustics
The concept of the diffuse sound field remains one of the most incomprehensible constructs in acoustics — central to theory but still resistant to experimental characterization. Despite decades of investigation, the highly reverberant conditions required for a truly diffuse field remain difficult to understand, resulting in several standardized measurement procedures being subject to critical uncertainties. This talk will explore the fundamental ideas behind reverberant sound fields and trace how the concept has evolved and fragmented into competing interpretations. In the process, some of the most persistent misconceptions that affect our understanding will be confronted. Finally, promising new experimental approaches are presented, providing a roadmap for future research.