ResonantLive Sound Archive

Equipment file · Wave field synthesis system

IOSONO

Fraunhofer / Barco · 2004

Evidence status · documented

Identity and core specifications are documented; some historical fields remain unavailable.

IOSONO was a Wave Field Synthesis system from Fraunhofer IDMT research, using rings of individually driven loudspeakers to physically reconstruct wavefronts so a virtual source can be heard moving through the room regardless of seat. Barco's IOSONO core drove up to 128 loudspeakers.

Introduced
2004
Category
Wave field synthesis system
Intended use
Immersive sound for cinema, attractions and events
Production
Fraunhofer IDMT; later Barco IOSONO

Why it mattered

  1. 01

    One of the first deployed systems to free localisation from seating position.

  2. 02

    Its object-based workflow fed later engines such as SARA II.

    Pictured in this passage
    SARA II rendering engineAstro Spatial Audio SARA II© Astro Spatial Audio

Engineering record

Principle
WFS based on Huygens' principle with perimeter arrays[3]
Scale
Core processor for 5 to 128 loudspeakers[2]

Original pricing

No reliable period price located

2026 equivalent

Not calculated without a reliable original price.

Public price evidence was not sufficient to publish a defensible original figure.

Use in the field

No named deployment could be tied to this exact item by a checked source yet. Know of one? Suggest it on the contribute page.

Manuals & original documents

Sources

  1. 1IOSONOComputers in Entertainment (ACM) · technical paper · 2004
  2. 2Barco IosonoConcept Solutions · case study
  3. 3Wave Field SynthesisFraunhofer IDMT · technical paper

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Know more about IOSONO?

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