Listeners prefer familiar distorted phantom images over technically superior real center channels

Evidence

According to King et al. (2023), there is no simple solution. It is difficult to make a real center image fit into a soundstage consisting of phantom images. It seems that we have adapted to the distortions inherent in stereo phantom image reproduction to such an extent that when we hear an uncompromised image in the same soundstage it stands out. It is often not preferred to the familiar double-mono phantom center. — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 565

Categorization

• QUESTION: Worth chasing: does this preference generalize to other domains where perceptual habituation to distortion beats fidelity? This is a striking claim about preference formation.