Precedence accumulates source information while late arrivals actively disrupt perception

Evidence

The precedence effect is a powerful process of the ear to reduce the impact that sound reflections have on perception, and is extremely important for our hearing in enclosed spaces. Without it, we likely would experience greater masking effects when communicating in rooms. The precedence effect can also be exploited in algorithms used to enhance signals presented across speakers. — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 1574 (#expands, via linked claim)

Some people have mistakenly taken this to mean that the delayed sound is masked—it isn’t. Within the precedence effect fusion interval, there is no masking; all of the reflected (delayed) sounds are audible, making their contributions to timbre and loudness, but the early reflections simply are not heard as spatially separate events. They are perceived as coming from the direction of the first sound—this, and only this, is the essence of the “fusion.” The widely held belief that there is a “Haas fusion zone,” approximately the first 20 ms after the direct sound, within which everything gets innocently combined, is simply untrue. — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 840 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Precedence fusion suppresses spatial perception but never masks the delayed sound; The precedence effect reduces masking from reflections in rooms — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 1574; The precedence effect suppresses spatial identity of reflections, not their audibility — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 840 (+1 more)

Related

• Precedence fusion suppresses spatial perception but never masks the delayed sound (similarity 0.92)
• The precedence effect suppresses spatial identity of reflections, not their audibility (similarity 0.89)
• Late-arriving reflections within the fusion zone are audible but merge into one directional image (similarity 0.89)
• A 30-40 ms delay separates fusion from echo in the precedence effect (similarity 0.88)
• The precedence effect reduces masking from reflections in rooms (similarity 0.86)
• Precedence fusion is not masking; all reflections remain audible (similarity 0.86)
• The first arriving sound wave dominates perceived localization regardless of level (similarity 0.86)
• Late-arriving room sound becomes omnidirectional and uniformly distributed (similarity 0.85)
• Earliest arriving sound dominates localization despite later room reflections (similarity 0.85)
• Ear localizes to first-arriving sound unless delayed signal exceeds 12 dB louder (similarity 0.84)
• Earlier-arriving sound from a less loud source dominates perceived location. (similarity 0.84)
• Sound is localized to the first arriving acoustic source despite delayed reinforcement (similarity 0.83)
• Early reflected sound localizes sources while late sound becomes directionless (similarity 0.83)
• Three distinct perceptual phenomena define the precedence effect. (similarity 0.82)
• Leading sounds win localization when paired sounds onset close together (similarity 0.81)

Broader Connections

• The precedence effect reduces masking from reflections in rooms #expands (0.85) — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 1574
• The precedence effect suppresses spatial identity of reflections, not their audibility #expands (0.80) — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 840
• Late-arriving room sound becomes omnidirectional and uniformly distributed #expands (0.75)