Listeners are forgiving of headphone resonances but sensitive to bass-level air leaks.

Evidence

Toole and Olive (1988) found that headphone and anechoic listening yielded the highest detection thresholds for resonances, meaning that listeners are relatively forgiving of headphone resonances. … Most designs are susceptible to variations in bass level due to air leaks in the interface with variable human anatomies and measurement fixtures (Toole, 1984 and Chapter 15). Such broadband spectral trends in frequency response are easily heard and are likely to be judged against long-term listening experience and auditory memory, with program being a factor. Finding the optimum headphone target is work in progress, but just as in loudspeakers, programs are not uniform so access to tone controls is a useful feature. — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 590

Toole and Olive (1988) found that headphone and anechoic listening yielded the highest detection thresholds for resonances, meaning that listeners are relatively forgiving of headphone resonances. Fortunately, in-ear headphones are generally free of resonances over most of the frequency range. Onand around-ear designs have more complications. Most designs are susceptible to variations in bass level due to air leaks. This can have significant consequence on the experience, since the quality and quantity of bass accounts for about 30% of the listener’s preference (see Sections 11.1 and 11.2). — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 1675

Categorization

• XREF: Ties to the broader theme that direct sound dominates quality perception; connects to Chapter 15 on headphone targets.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 590; Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 1675