Listeners tolerate second images in music because spaciousness outweighs them.

Evidence

In contrast to the results using speech, listeners in these tests did not avoid second images. The upper boundaries of the precedence effect fusion zones for speech and Mozart are shown and listeners demonstrated strong preferences for reflected sounds close to and outside the boundaries of the precedence 192. effect. The subjectively preferred reflections were up to about 15 dB higher than natural room reflections, with delays up to 60 ms longer. Not to be forgotten is the fact that the sense of spaciousness has grown at all levels above threshold and continues to grow at levels outside the precedence zone. There are two perceptual phenomena involved: second images and increased spaciousness. It is not clear which, if either, is dominant in this instance. With classical music, hearing second images—reflected versions of the direct sounds—appeared not to be offensive. The large reflecting surfaces in concert halls may have set a perceptual precedent. Spaciousness is a positive attribute, and multichannel audio is the enabler. — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 689

Categorization

• XREF: The precedence-effect boundary here is the perceptual pivot; connects to the earlier definition of fusion zones and to how concert-hall acoustics condition listener preferences.
• SEED: Could build into an article on why ‘accurate reproduction’ may not be what listeners actually want — spaciousness competes with fidelity, and musical content changes the tolerance for artifacts.