The Panel-shaped Bending Wave Loudspeaker was proposed recently by Kawahara[1]. The authors conducted an objective evaluation of the diffusion characteristics of Bending Wave Loudspeakers (BWL) using the degree of interaural cross-correlation (DICC) in this paper. Conventional speakers exhibit strong directionality and rely on room reflections to create a spatial impression. In contrast, BWLs are considered less susceptible to room reflections due to complex mode vibrations across the entire diaphragm. To quantify this characteristic, the authors
recorded sound in a real-world environment using a head-and-torso simulator (HATS). The authors compared the DICC of BWL with that of a conventional speaker. The results showed that the BWL exhibited significantly lower DICC values than the conventional loudspeaker at the front position (Center) under both broadband noise and music conditions, confirming its high diffusivity. Furthermore, this difference exceeded the Just Noticeable Difference (JND) for spatial perception, suggesting it is also significant to the human ear. In addition, analysis separating early
reflections and late reflections suggested differences in diffusion characteristics between conventional speakers and BWL.
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