Experimental evaluation of the omnidirectional behavior of platonic polyhedron loudspeakers

Many architectural acoustics measurements require the use of an omnidirectional source. For several years, the source predominantly used for such applications has been the dodecahedron loudspeaker with small in-phase drivers mounted in each face. While other platonic polyhedron loudspeakers (PPLs) have not been used as frequently, they also produce nearly omnidirectional fields over limited bandwidths. Above cutoff frequencies specific to their geometries, all PPLs depart from ideal omnidirectional behavior, with varying degrees of directivity. While these cutoff frequencies are typically higher for higher-order polyhedra, they commonly fall within the bandwidths of standard measurements. The five types of PPLs have been constructed and measured to gain greater insight into their omnidirectional behaviors. Their frequency responses were taken at 2664 points over a sphere (5-deg polar and azimuthal angle increments) in an anechoic chamber. The measurements were then processed to produce directivity balloon plots. However, to better compare directivities and find the source consistently producing the most omnidirectional field over a useful bandwidth, a frequency-dependent standard deviation formula was implemented. Average values of the standard deviation parameter produce figures of merit that further characterize omnidirectionality. [Research supported by funding from the NSF REU program.]