Cinemas

Cinemas are specialized venues dedicated to screening films. They are primarily built as medium to large-sized entertainment venues within shopping malls, and sometimes form clusters of multi-functional cinemas (cinema complexes). Besides regular screen cinemas, there are also IMAX, dome, and 4D cinemas. As one of the most frequently encountered acoustic environments in daily life, cinemas require not only a strong visual experience but also an essential auditory experience. Therefore, architectural acoustic design is an indispensable part of the overall cinema design.

Because cinemas reproduce the sound signals recorded on film or magnetic tape, minimizing the impact on sound within the auditorium—ensuring accurate sound reproduction—cinemas possess a flat reverberation time-frequency characteristic based on short reverberation, while carefully preventing parallel echoes, sound focusing, and other sound quality problems within the auditorium.

To achieve optimal reverberation time and frequency characteristics within the theater, cinema acoustic design prioritizes sound absorption, while also considering the interior decor. Sound-absorbing materials or structures are used on the walls and ceiling. For good sound image localization, the walls and ceiling near the main speakers should undergo strong sound absorption treatment. Similarly, to prevent echoes from the rear wall, strong sound absorption treatment is necessary. Seats should ideally be upholstered in sofas with high sound absorption, and the seat bases can be perforated to increase low-frequency sound absorption.

Home Theater (Audio-visual Room)

Home theaters originated abroad as another form of home audiovisual entertainment. With rapid economic development and rising living standards in China, home theaters have seen significant growth, also known domestically as audiovisual rooms. A home theater is an entertainment and leisure space in a home, such as a residence or villa, used for projecting films or playing music. It creates an audiovisual environment similar to a cinema or multi-functional hall, effectively utilizing interior space and achieving professional-grade audiovisual effects in a small space.

The development and popularity of home theaters benefited from the emergence and widespread adoption of surround sound systems. Surround sound is provided by professional sound reinforcement equipment; however, even with good audio equipment, without a suitable indoor acoustic environment, the final effect will be significantly diminished. Therefore, the indoor acoustic environment of a home theater is crucial, and proper architectural acoustic design is essential.

Since a home theater aims to create an audio-visual environment similar to a movie theater, the primary goal is to ensure high-fidelity sound. High-fidelity sound has two aspects: first, it requires high-fidelity signal playback from audio-visual equipment; second, it requires high-fidelity audio-visual reproduction, meaning faithful reproduction of the recorded audio and video in a good acoustic environment. Therefore, the architectural acoustic design of a home theater focuses on sound absorption to achieve a short reverberation effect similar to a movie theater, while also emphasizing diffusion and reflection to ensure good clarity and fullness of music played indoors.

KTV

KTV originated in Japan and originally meant "karaoke," meaning a music channel without a band. With continuous iteration and upgrades, KTVs have gradually evolved into the entertainment venues we know today, equipped with basic audio-visual equipment for singing and dancing. KTVs are commercial venues with a wide consumer base, ranging from casual gatherings of friends and family birthday parties to high-end business receptions. Regardless of social status, a good acoustic environment is universally acknowledged in KTVs.

KTVs are generally small, with areas ranging from 20 square meters to less, and even larger ones rarely exceeding 60 square meters. Therefore, to achieve audio-visual effects similar to larger entertainment venues like dance halls within this limited space, careful pre-design is essential. Besides the audio-visual equipment(matching the KTV room), the interior acoustic design must be a key consideration.

The fullness of sound is paramount in KTVs. To ensure this, proper indoor reflection treatment is crucial. This ensures that as sound reflects and propagates within the room, it enhances the fullness of the music without causing multiple echoes or other sound quality defects. Therefore, rigid panels can be installed on the walls, and some sound-absorbing materials, such as fabric sound-absorbing panels, can be installed in certain areas.