3D sound field reproduction using diverse loudspeaker patterns

Sound field reproduction (SFR) in a cubic region is addressed using a finite planar array of loudspeakers with diverse radiation patterns. An acoustic transfer function (ATF) matrix that best approximates the desired field under a power constraint is found from singular value decomposition (SVD). The loudspeaker patterns are then derived to match the ATF. Free-space-based simulations indicate that in 3D SFR, higher order loudspeakers offer better reproduction fidelity than low-order patterns, as can be expected from the extra degrees of freedom, and as previously reported for 2D SFR. The optimized patterns turn out to be highly diverse, even if they are all of the same order. These would have to be implemented from sub-arrays or reconfigurable loudspeaker designs.