Measured interference at ear level often needs no correction

Evidence

Ear level microphones in close proximity to orderly rows of seats, some of which have high backs, generate effects more complex and of wider bandwidth than the well-known seat-dip phenomenon in concert halls. The fact that the cinema sound field is considerably less reflective is a probable factor. It is unlikely that these non-minimum-phase acoustical interference effects can be treated by equalization, if indeed they need correction at all. Two ears and a brain are much more analytical and adaptable than an omnidirectional microphone and analyzer. Once stationary in a chair, listeners usually are unaware of, or attribute innocent spatial descriptors to, measured variations suggesting repugnant interference or comb-filtering phenomena. — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 1345

Categorization

• QUESTION: This challenges the assumption that any measured anomaly warrants fixing — worth investigating what ‘innocent spatial descriptors’ listeners assign to comb-filtering artifacts.
• XREF: connects to: Headphone test-fixture measurements often fail to predict what individual listeners hear; The ‘we can’t measure what we hear’ myth stems from inadequate measurements; The hearing system is not outmeasurable; inadequate measurements explain apparent gaps — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 1380 (+2 more)

Related

• Headphone test-fixture measurements often fail to predict what individual listeners hear (similarity 0.91)
• Seat-caused acoustical interference eludes equalization and often goes unnoticed by listeners (similarity 0.90)
• Ear-level microphone measurements capture artifacts inaudible to human listeners (similarity 0.89)
• Earphone frequency response must be measured on real ears, not couplers (similarity 0.87)
• Impulse response measurements can misrepresent what listeners actually hear (similarity 0.86)
• The ‘we can’t measure what we hear’ myth stems from inadequate measurements (similarity 0.85)
• The hearing system is not outmeasurable; inadequate measurements explain apparent gaps (similarity 0.83)
• Audio watermarking embeds inaudible, copy-surviving data into signals (similarity 0.81)
• Headphone measurement variability is greatest below 500 Hz and above 3 kHz (similarity 0.80)
• Sound reproduction’s endpoint is the human listener, not fidelity per se (similarity 0.80)
• Headphone positioning causes large measurement variation below 500 Hz and above 3 kHz. (similarity 0.80)
• Acoustical interference is non-minimum-phase but less audible than resonances. (similarity 0.80)
• Mixing engineers hear recorded sounds normal listeners will not perceive (similarity 0.79)
• Room correction cannot substitute for two-eared timbral and spatial perception (similarity 0.79)
• Head and ear variation makes fixture measurements unreliable predictors of listening (similarity 0.79)

Broader Connections

• The hearing system is not outmeasurable; inadequate measurements explain apparent gaps #corroborates (0.82) — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 1380
• Ear-level microphone measurements capture artifacts inaudible to human listeners #qualifies (0.78) — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 1355
• Instrument frequency ranges leave room for inaudible filtering #corroborates (0.75)