Simple Explanation

The direct sound that travels straight from the source to your ears, before any echoes or reflections.

Concise Technical Definition

The sound energy that reaches the listener or a surface directly from the source, without reflection or scattering.

Layman-Friendly Analogy

Like hearing someone’s voice in the open before it bounces off any walls—pure and immediate.

Industry Usage Summary

Critical in measuring acoustic clarity and directivity of speakers; distinguished from reflected and diffused sound in room acoustics.

Engineering Shortcut

First-arriving, unreflected sound from the source.

Full Technical Explanation

Incident sound refers to the direct sound wave that travels from a source to a listener or surface without encountering any reflections, refractions, or diffusions. In acoustics, it's often contrasted with reflected or reverberant sound, which arrives later due to interactions with room boundaries. Measuring incident sound is essential in evaluating the performance of loudspeakers, microphones, and room acoustics, as it determines clarity, intelligibility, and spatial imaging. Incident sound is also the foundation for phenomena like the Haas effect, where spatial localization is based on the first-arriving wavefront.