Binaural and crosstalk-cancelled delivery may finally make multichannel practical

Evidence

Multichannel audio is a great improvement. Persuasive envelopment can now be enjoyed, and movies have off-screen audio opportunities. Still, only a tiny fraction of listeners are equipped to enjoy it through loudspeakers. Immersive systems add excitement to blockbuster movies, and can add spatial subtleties to music, but the loudspeaker audience for these formats is even smaller. It comes down to cost, complexity, available space, and interest. Headphone binaural or crosstalk-cancelled two-loudspeaker versions may yet prove to be rewarding and practical delivery formats for the masses (see Section 3.3). — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 1402

Categorization

• QUESTION: Worth chasing: current state and maturity of crosstalk-cancelled two-loudspeaker and headphone binaural formats as of this edition — has this prediction borne out?