A real center speaker improves dialogue clarity over a phantom center

Evidence

A common problem in the industry is how to deal with the perceptual difference between a real and a phantom center image. Three years after this work was done, Shirley et al. (2007) found that the interaural crosstalk in a double-mono phantom center image reduced speech intelligibility (see Section 4.3.2). Many multichannel programs avoid using the center channel, which does not help. I personally notice the difference when television channels deliver talking-head audio through a stereo pair, or a center channel. Ironically, some that avoid the center channel for their news programs use it and surround channels for commercials. Why? The improved clarity of a center channel voice delivery is obvious. — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 1914

Categorization

• XREF: Connects directly to the book’s own Section 4.3.2 on phantom center imaging and to the reader’s psychoacoustic modeling interests in spatial hearing.