Anechoic chamber
Our anechoic chamber is one of the largest in the UK. It is lined on all sides with acoustic wedges that absorb sound, creating an echo-free environment. Its ultra-low noise level makes it perfect for detailed acoustic measurements.
![](https://generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk/isvr-new/wp-content/uploads/sites/422/2022/10/anechoic800.jpg)
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Reverberant chambers
Unlike the anechoic chamber, our reverberant chambers have hard, non-parallel surfaces that reflect sound many times. This creates a non-directional, ‘diffuse’ sound field. We use the reverberant chambers for certain types of acoustic testing, for example measuring the sound absorption of materials.
Product development lab
With hard flooring and sound-absorbing materials lining the walls and ceiling, the product development lab is a large, semi-anechoic acoustic environment, suitable for repeatable testing. It is ideal for the testing and development of products ranging from industrial machinery and vehicle components to domestic appliances and consumer electronics.
![](https://generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk/isvr-new/wp-content/uploads/sites/422/2019/09/ProductLab1_BW.jpg)
![](https://generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk/isvr-new/wp-content/uploads/sites/422/2019/02/WindTunnel_Andy1_800.jpg)
Other facilities
Our University links give us access to related test facilities, such as the RJ Mitchell wind tunnel (pictured), heavy structures laboratories and a long-stroke six-axis motion simulator.
Equipment
We use high-precision instrumentation, including laboratory-standard microphones and accelerometers. Our systems can record measurements from many such devices simultaneously. Our equipment includes instrumentation from industry standard suppliers such as Brüel & Kjær, GRAS, PCB Piezotronics, National Instruments, Rion, Norsonic, Genelec and Prism Sound.
To ensure the integrity of these measurements, all our equipment is subject to rigorous maintenance and calibration procedures.
![](https://generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk/isvr-new/wp-content/uploads/sites/422/2019/09/MiniArray_crop.jpg)