Perhaps you have observed reverberations when talking in an empty room, when honking the horn while driving through a highway tunnel or underpass, or when singing in the shower. In auditoriums and concert halls, reverberations occasionally occur and lead to the displeasing garbling of a sound. But reflection of sound waves in auditoriums and concert halls do not always lead to displeasing results, especially if the reflections are designed right . Smooth walls have a tendency to direct sound waves in a specific direction. The auditorium would not seem to be as lively and full of sound.
Rough walls tend to diffuse sound, reflecting it in a variety of directions.
This allows a spectator to perceive sounds from every part of the room, making it seem lively and full. For this reason, auditorium and concert hall designers prefer construction materials which are rough rather than smooth. Reflection of sound waves also lead to echoes. Echoes are different than reverberations. Echoes occur when a reflected sound wave reaches the ear more than 0.1 seconds after the original sound wave was heard.