These systems are often associated with acoustic sound sources like a chamber orchestra, symphony orchestra, or opera, but have also found acceptance in a variety of applications and venues that include rehearsal rooms, recording facilities conference rooms, sound stages, sports arenas, and outdoor venues.
The number, type, and placement of microphones and loudspeakers varies according to both the application, as well as the physics limitations that are imposed by the inherent operating principles associated with each manufacturer's equipment.
As concertgoers have become aware of the use of these systems, debates have arisen, because "...purists maintain that the natural acoustic sound of [Classical] voices [or] instruments in a given hall should not be altered".
[This quote needs a citation] Commenting on a performance by the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion at Millennium Park Chicago, senior vice president of WFMT radio, Steve Robinson, stated "I have never in my life heard sound projected so faithfully and beautifully over such a great distance; it was an ethereal experience".
Despite the uproar that has arisen amongst operagoers, Harada points out that none of the major opera houses using acoustic enhancement systems "...use traditional, Broadway-style sound reinforcement, in which most if not all singers are equipped with radio microphones mixed to a series of unsightly loudspeakers scattered throughout the theatre".
In a review of the State Opera of South Australia's performance of Wagners' Ring Cycle at the Adelaide Festival Centre Theatre, Michael Kennedy of The Sunday Telegraph, London, wrote: “The balance between the orchestra and the voices has been ideal.” The live recording of Wagner: Die Walküre, the world's first 6-channel SACD "blitzed the 2005 Helpmann Awards, winning ten of its eleven nominations and earning critical accolades", and the recording of Wagner: Götterdämmerung was nominated for a 2008 Grammy Award.
Yamaha's AFC3 Active Field Control system which "enhances the architectural acoustic characteristics of a room and optimizes reverberation time performance."