Development work leading to improved sound absorbing qualities of concrete blocks led to the creation of an extremely simple tool for assessing the acoustical potential of permeable materials including concrete aggregates, insulation and acoustical panels with either a hard or open backing. Acoustical panels and curtain fabrics, whose sound absorption values have been determined by standardized tests in reverberation chambers can serve as reference points for the simple tool. Certain advantages and disadvantages of standardized material testing in reverberation chambers and impedance tubes as well as of flow resistance tests are discussed.
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