Mono listening produces stronger and more consistent loudspeaker quality opinions than stereo

Evidence

In summary, while it is undeniable that good stereo and multichannel recordings are more entertaining than monophonic versions, it is an inconvenient truth that monophonic listening provides circumstances in which the strongest perceptual differentiation of sound quality occurs. If the purpose of a listening test is to evaluate the intrinsic sound quality from loudspeakers, listen in mono. For pleasure, or to impress someone, listen in stereo or multichannel modes. — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 236

Categorization

• XREF: Echoes the ‘less is more’ perceptual principle found in Deep Listening and the soundscape literature — reducing complexity reveals signal. — connects to: Stereo presentation masks audible differences between loudspeakers found in mono. — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 443; Monophonic listening is the most demanding test of loudspeaker sound quality; Every channel in a multichannel setup must perform well as a solo monophonic source (+3 more)
• CANDY: A fun, tweetable practical takeaway: audition speakers in mono, enjoy them in stereo.
• corroborated: 3 independent passages support this claim — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 236

Related

• Monophonic listening is the most demanding test of loudspeaker sound quality (similarity 0.96)
• Loudspeaker evaluation must be done in mono because multichannel adds forgiveness (similarity 0.93)
• Every channel in a multichannel setup must perform well as a solo monophonic source (similarity 0.93)
• Stereo and multichannel listening make listeners more forgiving of loudspeaker flaws (similarity 0.90)
• Stereo presentation masks audible differences between loudspeakers found in mono. (similarity 0.90)
• Loudspeaker evaluation requires mono, while enjoyment happens in multichannel (similarity 0.89)
• Stereo playback masks differences between loudspeakers with room reflections (similarity 0.86)
• Critical loudspeaker evaluation should use mono for fail-safe real-world listening (similarity 0.85)
• Mismatched left-right speakers may degrade stereo imaging more than room effects. (similarity 0.84)
• Multichannel spatial information masks loudspeaker coloration in playback (similarity 0.84)
• Most reproduced program content is effectively monophonic (similarity 0.83)
• Mono dominates because close-miked telephony sidesteps room coloration (similarity 0.83)
• Mono reproduction exaggerates recording-room coloration that stereo cancels (similarity 0.83)
• Spatial richness in multichannel sound inhibits perception of loudspeaker resonances (similarity 0.83)
• The listening room’s influence is suppressed during multichannel playback (similarity 0.82)

Broader Connections

• Mono reproduction exaggerates recording-room coloration that stereo cancels #expands (0.85) — Ville Pulkki, Matti Karjalainen, Communication Acoustics- An…, 1832