Bose Newsletter -- July 2007

	In the world of live performance, audience experience has typically depended on where you sit. Clarity drops off from the front of the venue to the back. And tone varies from one end of a row to the other. But Bose engineer Ken Jacob believed he could set the stage for something different.
		When Jacob was asked to design a 300-seat auditorium for the new Bose Corporate Center, the goal was formidable: create an environment where someone speaking from the stage could be heard clearly and distinctly, with or without amplification, from every seat in the house.
	The task, in other words, was to design an auditorium without parallel. Jacob and his team began by visiting halls renowned for good acoustics. Although they found wonderful sound in each of these spaces, they also found a common flaw—an audible decline in sound quality as they moved toward the back of the room. The team wanted to overcome this weakness in their auditorium design, envisioning startling clarity of sound in every seat. A "lift-your-head-up-clarity," as Jacob recalls. He felt sure they could make significant improvements over what had been done before, if they used hearing as their guide.
	A revolutionary tool made it possible to do exactly that. The Bose® Auditioner® system, the result of a 10-year research project led by Jacob, combines computer modeling with audio playback. The team was able to use this breakthrough technology to actually hear the impact of various design options—before construction.
	According to architect Tony Pisani, "We were able to literally understand and study what the reaction of every material and shape would be." And Jacob adds, "When you can listen to what you are doing in the design phase, it leads to surprises." After experimenting with the geometries of the auditorium walls and ceiling, they discovered that very careful articulation of the ceiling could be used to push sound to the back of the room. Like using mirrors to reflect light in specific ways, they could fine-tune the redirection of acoustic energy. "When we heard this in Auditioner, it was uncanny," says Jacob. "We knew we had something different."
		Today, the innovative ceiling design and slanted, arced surfaces of the Bose Corporate Center auditorium allow the spoken word to be heard as clearly and naturally in the back row as in the front. A presenter can speak at a normal level, confident that everyone can hear. And a question asked from anywhere in the audience is easily understood by all.
	"It's conversational" says Jacob. And it's without amplification. But what about enhancing sound in other venues? Another Bose engineering inspiration is transforming how live performances are experienced, with amplification ... Learn more about Auditioner® system technology » Explore Bose engineering careers and our unique environment for the pursuit of excellence »