This document specifies methodology for qualifying acoustic spaces as anechoic and hemi-anechoic spaces meeting the requirements of a free sound field.

This document specifies discrete-frequency and broad-band test methods for quantifying the performance of anechoic and hemi-anechoic spaces, defines the qualification procedure for an omni-directional sound source suitable for free-field qualification, gives details of how to present the results and describes uncertainties of measurement.

This document has been developed for qualifying anechoic and hemi-anechoic spaces for a variety of acoustical measurement purposes. It is expected that, over time, various standards and test codes will refer to this document in order to qualify an anechoic or hemi-anechoic space for a particular measurement. Annex D provides guidelines for the specification of test parameters and qualification criteria for referencing documents.

In the absence of specific requirements or criteria, Annex A provides qualification criteria and measurement requirements to qualify anechoic and hemi-anechoic spaces for general purpose acoustical measurements.

This document describes the divergence loss method for measuring the free sound field performance of an acoustic environment.