The Haas effect is in fact a psycho-acoustic effect, described on the basis of experiments carried out by the physicist Helmut Haas between 1949 and 1950.
This effect occurs when the human ear perceives two sounds that are very close in time (0-50 milliseconds) as if it were hearing only one sound, the sound which reached it first.
If the delay exceeds 50 milliseconds, then the human ear is able to distinguish between leading and lagging sounds and perceives them as echoes of varying degrees depending on the delay time.
Why is it relevant?
Knowledge of this effect helps sound engineers to build stereo listening rooms.
By setting different delays and attenuations, a wide range of directional hearing can be modelled.
We used this effect during developing the Creation device.
Between 2019 and 2020, our engineers carried out instrumental and psycho-acoustic measurements in several boardrooms of different sizes and layouts. The result is the algorithm package that has been implemented in the electroacoustic module of our latest MVU 507 and 510 series.
For the ideal system operation:
1, First, an accurate map of the delegate units in the conference room should be drawn up. The system automatically arranges this with the help of a camera supplied as an accessory.
2, Based on the resulting topographic data, the system calculates the distance between each sound source and each listener, as well as the time delay for the arrival of natural sound at a specific location.
3, Then it calculates the ideal gain and delay parameters for the speaker in front of the listener.
This “customised” data is downloaded to each representative unit and the system is operated with these settings. This makes Creation an exceptionally effective tool.
As a result of this process, Creation’s speaker system can provide a clear, lifelike sound in the room, regardless of which representative is speaking and at which representative’s table and distance from the speaker.
This way, you always hear the voice from the direction of the person you are talking to, regardless of whether it is actually (the loudest one) the speaker in front of you.
We have initiated a patent registration for the product and the developed solution in 2020.
Have a closer look at the Creation conference system!