We analyse the behaviour of acoustic vortex beams interacting with rotating, fluid-saturated porous materials. Regions of the parameter space that exhibit distinct dynamical features are identified, with a focus on features that are relevant to the characterization of rotational superradiance. We discuss the similarities and differences between two recent proposals to observe acoustic superradiance with rotating, air-saturated sound absorbers. Finally, theoretical predictions for macroscopic acoustic scattering, obtained by averaging over interactions between the fluid and the porous material at the microscopic level, are compared with predictions of the first-Born approximation. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘The next generation of analogue gravity experiments’.