Earlier-arriving sound from a less loud source dominates perceived location.

Evidence

In many realistic situations, the location determined by the earliest sound will be the correct identification of the source, if the early sound has been able to arrive by a straight path from source to listener. Loudspeaker systems in public spaces must account for this. The speed of electrical signals is essentially infinite compared to the speed of sound, so there must be a deliberate time delay given to loudspeakers placed closer to the audience, allowing the sound from the podium to reach the listeners before the loudspeaker sound does. Even if the latter are much louder, the listener will then hear the sound as coming from the podium. — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 2537

Categorization

• XREF: This is the precedence/Haas effect applied directly to PA system design — pays off earlier chapters on sound localization and first-arrival dominance. — connects to: The precedence effect makes the listening room’s first reflections mask the recorded hall’s acoustics — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 2267
• DEFINE: Provides a practical statement of the precedence effect’s engineering consequence: time-delay loudspeakers so direct sound leads.