This part of ISO 3743 specifies a relatively simple en­ gineering method for determining the sound power levels of small, movable noise sources. The measurements are carried out when the source is in­ stalled in a specially designed room having a specified reverberation time over the frequency range of interest. The A-weighted sound power level of the source under test is determined from a single A­ weighted sound pressure level measurement at each microphone position, rather than from a summation of octave-band levels. This direct method eliminates the need for a reference sound source, but requires the use of a special reverberation test room. The direct method is based on the premise that the sound pressure level, averaged in space and time in the test room, can be used to determine the sound power level emitted by the source. The properties of the special reverberation test room are chosen so that the room's influence on the sound power output of the equipment under test is small. The number of micro­ phone positions and source locations required in the test room are specified. Guidelines for the design of special reverberation rooms are given in annex B.

In addition to the direct method, a comparison method is also described (see 8.3). However, since the requirements on the test room for the comparison method of ISO 3743‑1 are considerably less restric­ tive, it is recommended that the comparison method of ISO 3743‑1 be used if a special reverberation test room is not available.