Evaluating speech intelligibility across reverberant conditions in university dining halls

Background noise and reverberation can impede speech intelligibility. The clarity of speech holds particular significance in communal spaces like dining halls. Nevertheless, such venues often exhibit inadequate acoustic configurations for interactive dialog, characterized by high levels of background noise and reverberation. The present investigation examines how well individuals comprehend speech combined with noise within four campus dining halls at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. A speech intelligibility test was implemented in the four dining halls using binaural room impulse responses (BRIRs) captured through two Head and Torso Simulators (HATS). These BRIRs were then convolved with the recorded speech stimuli (QuickSIN) to replicate real listening conditions. While it is well established that lower reverberation times improve speech intelligibility, this study shows how targeted acoustic interventions can enhance communication within university dining halls.