Ambisonic systems synthesize a sound field through coordinated pressure and velocity, not channel-to-direction mapping

Evidence

Unlike stereo, however, no particular speaker is assigned to a particular direction, such as left, right and so forth. Instead, all the speakers work in concert to provide the necessary sound field. That is, all the speakers work together to provide a pressure component and, by feeding appropriate levels and phases of the other signals to the loudspeakers, all cooperate to synthesize the necessary velocity components. — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 2231

Categorization

• DEFINE: Clarifies the defining contrast between ambisonics and stereo: spatial direction is synthesized across all speakers, not assigned per channel.