Direct-sound-dominated rooms maximize the stereo center-image spectral distortion

Evidence

By any standards this is a huge spectral distortion, a serious fault because it affects the featured “talent” in most recordings, the person whose picture is on the album cover. Under what circumstances are we likely to hear it as shown here? Obviously, only when the direct sound from the loudspeakers is the dominant sound arriving at the listener’s ears. This is the situation in many recording control rooms and custom listening rooms where special care has been taken to attenuate early reflections, as well as in all close-listening, near-field situations. — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 422

Categorization

• XREF: Ties to the debate between reflection-controlled vs. reflective rooms that runs through loudspeaker room-acoustics literature (e.g., Toole’s own prior work).