A method for the non-destructive testing of a test object by means of ultrasound, comprising the following method steps, a. generating a pulsed ultrasonic field in the test object by means of an array of individually drivable ultrasonic transmitting transducers acoustically coupled to the test object, by the ultrasonic transmitting transducers each being driven with a specific digital transient excitation signal , wherein each digital transient excitation signal is generated based on an ultrasonic transmitting transducer-specific stored digital transient excitation function, wherein the ultrasonic transmitting transducer-specific digital transient excitation function is generated by means of a series of multi-level square wave signals ; b. receiving resulting echo signals from the test object by means of an array of individually drivable ultrasonic receiving transducers, with each ultrasonic receiving transducer providing an analog time-resolved echo signal, c. transducer-specific digitization of the time-resolved analog echo signals, d. temporarily storing the time-resolved, transducer-specific, digitized echo signals in the form of an echo signal set e. applying a plurality of different reception evaluations to the echo signal set, a reception evaluation being characterized by at least the following reception processing parameters: i. the number and identity of the ultrasonic receiving transducers whose echo signals are being taken into account in the reception evaluation, ii. individual phase shifts applied to the echo signals taken into account in the reception evaluation, and, if applicable, iii. time frames in which the echo signals lie that are to be taken into account in the reception evaluation. a. generating a pulsed ultrasonic field in the test object by means of an array of individually drivable ultrasonic transmitting transducers acoustically coupled to the test object, by the ultrasonic transmitting transducers each being driven with a specific digital transient excitation signal , wherein each digital transient excitation signal is generated based on an ultrasonic transmitting transducer-specific stored digital transient excitation function, wherein the ultrasonic transmitting transducer-specific digital transient excitation function is generated by means of a series of multi-level square wave signals ; b. receiving resulting echo signals from the test object by means of an array of individually drivable ultrasonic receiving transducers, with each ultrasonic receiving transducer providing an analog time-resolved echo signal, c. transducer-specific digitization of the time-resolved analog echo signals, d. temporarily storing the time-resolved, transducer-specific, digitized echo signals in the form of an echo signal set e. applying a plurality of different reception evaluations to the echo signal set, a reception evaluation being characterized by at least the following reception processing parameters: i. the number and identity of the ultrasonic receiving transducers whose echo signals are being taken into account in the reception evaluation, ii. individual phase shifts applied to the echo signals taken into account in the reception evaluation, and, if applicable, iii. time frames in which the echo signals lie that are to be taken into account in the reception evaluation. i. the number and identity of the ultrasonic receiving transducers whose echo signals are being taken into account in the reception evaluation, ii. individual phase shifts applied to the echo signals taken into account in the reception evaluation, and, if applicable, iii. time frames in which the echo signals lie that are to be taken into account in the reception evaluation. <EOS>