Early Reflections are the very first echoes to reach the listener, arriving milliseconds after the direct sound by bouncing off the nearest boundary surfaces (walls, floor, ceiling). Unlike the later, dense, and diffuse wash of sound known as the "reverberation tail," these initial reflections are discrete and distinct.

They play a critical psychoacoustic role, acting as the primary cues that tell our brain about the size, shape, and material of the acoustic space. For example, a short gap between the direct sound and the early reflections indicates a small room, while a longer gap suggests a larger hall. In control room design, engineers often treat the specific points where these reflections originate (mirror points) with absorption or diffusion to prevent them from interfering with the direct signal and coloring the sound (a phenomenon known as comb filtering).