near-field

Adjective

 * 1) In loudspeaker acoustics, referring to a region where the intensity of direct, unreflected sound from the source (such as a loudspeaker) is significantly dominant over any indirect or reflected sound.

Usage notes
The term has related, but not identical, meanings in various disciplines involving wave behaviour, particularly electromagnetic antennae and acoustics. In general it refers to differences between wave phenomena in regions close to the source, and in regions far from the source. Such differences are of profound importance in various fields of biology, technology, and fundamental research.