Phantom stereo images resist lateral-reflection interference as well as real images do

Evidence

A phantom image is a perceptual illusion resulting from summing localization when the same sound is radiated by two loudspeakers. It is natural to think that these directional illusions may be more fragile than those created by a single loudspeaker at the same location. This was tested. … The evidence shown in Figure 6.9 applies to the simple case of a single lateral reflection, simulated in a normally reflective room with a loudspeaker positioned along a side wall. When detection threshold and image-shift threshold determinations were done first with real and then with phantom center images, in the presence of an asymmetrical single lateral reflection, the differences were insignificantly small. It appears that concerns about the fragility of a phantom center image are misplaced. — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 634

Categorization

• QUESTION: Whether phantom imaging remains robust under multiple simultaneous reflections or only under a single asymmetric one is worth chasing.
• XREF: Connects to summing localization and stereo phantom imaging, relevant to any loudspeaker-room system design work.