Multichannel spatial information masks loudspeaker coloration in playback

Evidence

It should not be concluded that listeners can always adapt to or normalize rooms to the extent shown here. As will be seen, there is always some adaptation, but in Experiment One it was enabled by the experimental method of comparing different loudspeakers within each room. Experiment Two is more closely related to real-life listening, in that the sounds of the room and the loudspeaker are combined. Listeners living in the room may develop enough familiarity with it to be able to discern some characteristics of loudspeakers being listened to, but having multiple comparison loudspeakers available is a very advantageous situation. The tests had the additional advantage of being in mono. — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 547 (#qualifies, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Spatial richness in multichannel sound inhibits perception of loudspeaker resonances; Excessive center-channel upmixing damages music soundstage rendering; Listeners can perceptually separate loudspeaker timbre from room coloration in comparisons (+5 more)

Related

• Mismatched left-right speakers may degrade stereo imaging more than room effects. (similarity 0.90)
• Room differences dominate loudspeaker differences when listeners cannot adapt (similarity 0.89)
• Spatial richness in multichannel sound inhibits perception of loudspeaker resonances (similarity 0.89)
• Listeners perceptually normalize familiar rooms to judge loudspeakers clearly (similarity 0.88)
• Stereo presentation masks audible differences between loudspeakers found in mono. (similarity 0.87)
• Listeners need some room sound but its required amount is unknown (similarity 0.87)
• Multichannel recording content masks room acoustics and loudspeaker resonances (similarity 0.87)
• Room acoustics contaminate loudspeaker listening tests needing controlled environments (similarity 0.86)
• Loudspeakers and rooms function together as a single audible system (similarity 0.86)
• Listeners can perceptually separate loudspeaker timbre from room coloration in comparisons (similarity 0.86)
• Listeners normalize room acoustics so a voice stays constant across radically different spaces (similarity 0.86)
• More playback channels increasingly mask audible loudspeaker resonances (similarity 0.86)
• Room size and shape do not change multiple-loudspeaker sound quality ratings (similarity 0.86)
• The listening room’s influence is suppressed during multichannel playback (similarity 0.86)
• Human listeners can identify loudspeaker qualities through rooms, while microphones cannot. (similarity 0.86)

Broader Connections

• Listeners can perceptually separate loudspeaker timbre from room coloration in comparisons #corroborates (0.85)
• Room differences dominate loudspeaker differences when listeners cannot adapt #qualifies (0.78) — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 547
• Spatial averaging over the listening window reveals audible character of direct sound #qualifies (0.75)