The acoustics of the Sydney Opera House

[Keith_W]

"It is said that Australia has the best opera house - the exterior is in Sydney, and the interior is in Melbourne". It's true, the Sydney Opera House is iconic but its acoustics have always been so-so. Hamer Hall in Melbourne has a reputation as a great sounding theatre. I attended a few performances in the Opera House years ago, and the sound was so smeared it was almost unintelligible. I went to another performance the last time I was in Sydney, about 2023. This was a few years after they completed their overhaul. I also had much better seating so the comparison wasn't completely fair, but the improvement was noticeable.

This video shows all the combination of reflection and absorption deployed by sound engineers. There is also a tour of the backstage and the pipe organ. They did not show any measurements, but they do go into a bit of depth explaining the thinking behind the choices they made.

 

[slaweks]

For me acoustics of the Sydney Opera House was not so-so, it was atrocious. Next time I am in Sydney, I need to check the improvements.

 

[kchap]

"It is said that Australia has the best opera house - the exterior is in Sydney, and the interior is in Melbourne". It's true, the Sydney Opera House is iconic but its acoustics have always been so-so. Hamer Hall in Melbourne has a reputation as a great sounding theatre. I attended a few performances in the Opera House years ago, and the sound was so smeared it was almost unintelligible. I went to another performance the last time I was in Sydney, about 2023. This was a few years after they completed their overhaul. I also had much better seating so the comparison wasn't completely fair, but the improvement was noticeable.

This video shows all the combination of reflection and absorption deployed by sound engineers. There is also a tour of the backstage and the pipe organ. They did not show any measurements, but they do go into a bit of depth explaining the thinking behind the choices they made.

Fascinating. Loved all the minutia.

 

[Mort]

Well, this makes me feel better. I attributed the crap acoustics to our cheap seats.

 

[AudioJester]

It was only when I visited some concert halls overseas that I appreciated how bad the Sydney Opera house accoutics were.

The recent upgrade is substantial.

 

[Miley_B]

Really interesting.
As the video points out, the ideal acoustics for amplified and un‑amplified music are quite different and with the renovations can now be changed as required.
For those who have attended a few shows at the Opera house, were the acoustic issues mainly a problem for un‑amplified performances, or did they affect amplified shows as well?

I visited once, quite a few years ago, my memory is a bit hazy of it now but I remember it sounding better than I expected. They had a good PA system and the show I was at was amplified. All of the musicians were on headphones or IEMs, so that removed one of the issues.

 

[Keith_W]

@Miley_B I have never attended an amplified show, at least not deliberately. It was pointed out in a long-lost ASR thread that even so-called "un-amplified" performances usually have hidden speakers for sound reinforcement. I pooh-pooh'ed that until I googled a bit and found out that it's true!

Something I found curious was how shallow the diffusers carved on the wall were.

If you used a diffuser calculator like QRDude you would quickly realize that these things seem a bit too shallow to do very much. I thought they were decorative, but he claims they are functional. Does anybody know?

 

[Petrushka]

The Met is amplified.

 

[slaweks]

Really interesting.
As the video points out, the ideal acoustics for amplified and un‑amplified music are quite different and with the renovations can now be changed as required.
For those who have attended a few shows at the Opera house, were the acoustic issues mainly a problem for un‑amplified performances, or did they affect amplified shows as well?

I visited once, quite a few years ago, my memory is a bit hazy of it now but I remember it sounding better than I expected. They had a good PA system and the show I was at was amplified. All of the musicians were on headphones or IEMs, so that removed one of the issues.

In my case it was, I believe, unamplified. But you never know.