Rear side acoustic metamaterial compensation system

An apparatus, comprising:

• a transducer configured to concurrently generate forward directed and rear directed sound waves responsive to an input electrical driver signal, the forward directed sound waves emitted from a front side of the transducer for passage along an ear cavity of a user, the rear directed sound waves emitted from a rear side of the transducer for passage in a direction away from the ear cavity of the user;
• and
• a rear side acoustic compensation structure coupled to the rear side of the transducer, comprising:
• a resonator array configured to receive a first portion of the rear directed sound waves along a first transmission path, the resonator array comprising at least one resonator channel configured to suppress at least one selected frequency of interest in the first portion of the rear directed sound waves received by the resonator array;
• and
• a bypass path structure adjacent the resonator array configured to direct the first portion of the rear directed sound waves into the resonator array and to direct a remaining second portion of the rear directed sound waves along a second transmission path away from the resonator array to dampen an overall energy level of the remaining second portion, the first portion constituting less than all of the rear directed sound waves.