There is no way to have a discussion about speakers or live audio without a consideration of the acoustics of a venue / space / etc… Unless you’re in an open field away from all buildings, you’re still dealing with reflections.

If you’re going to succeed in any live audio endeavor, you’ll have to consider the acoustics of your environment in order to avoid causing yourself issues.

In some cases, you’ll have to treat the acoustic environment in order to succeed.

When it comes to live sound reinforcement, “NON REFLECTIVE IS BEST”. If we can get sound to leave the speakers and enter the audiences ears without ever bouncing off a reflective surface, our job will be easier and our audio more pristine.

Once you understand that a reflective surfaces cause reflections that interact in a negative way with our speaker output, you will consider the acoustics of a space as IMPORTANT as the speakers you choose, the mixing board you use and the mics you select. When we put our speakers inside a room with walls, a ceiling and a floor, we are literally putting speakers inside a bigger box. Picture putting a sub woofer cabinet inside a bigger sub woofer cabinet with doors for porting and people for dampening. Lots to consider.