Comparing room acoustic simulations and measurements using higher-order ambisonics

Room acoustic simulations and measurements are commonly based on omnidirectional receivers, but higher-order ambisonics (HOA) offers an approach for more detailed spatial evaluation of room acoustics. Spatial audio and acoustics tools that utilize HOA, including microphones, audio plug-ins, and simulation software, have developed significantly in recent years, making them more accessible to the architectural acoustics community. This development presents an opportunity to more critically evaluate the output of room acoustic simulation software by comparing the simulated data with spatial acoustics measurements from real rooms. This paper will discuss some recent experience with HOA spatial audio and acoustics tools and using them to compare simulated and measured room impulse responses and parameters.