Roger Hecht writes, re Symphony Hall in Boston:

>>They tore out the front seats of the hall for the Pops recordings,
>>if memory serves, perhaps shortening the hall.

And Len Fehskens wrote:

>Actually, all the seats on the floor of Symphony Hall are easily removable.
>They are bolted to the floor, and are routinely removed for Pops concerts
>where the audience is seated at tales.

That's right.  I didn't mean actually rip them out of there with a crowbar.
Poor word choice on my part, much as I love the image.

>In any case, removing the front seats does not change the length of the
>hall -- the distance to the rear wall determines the longest contribution
>to the reverberation time; the presence of the seats (and audience) has
>more effect on the relative frequency balance of the reverberation.  It
>is sometimes the case that the orchestra is seated on the floor rather
>than the stage, which *will* affect the distance to the rear wall.

That's what I meant.  Not just on the floor but closer to the back wall.
In any case I was just speculating on this.  I hope I made that clear.
If I didn't, I should have.  Ten more lashes.  And let it be understood
I'm no accoustician.

Roger Hecht