Reversing stereo channels or turning around can replicate hearing music from behind the orchestra

Evidence

It is interesting to compare the normal concert hall layout as a listener with the experience of sitting in the audience area behind the orchestra, which is possible in halls such as the Royal Festival Hall in London. Unfortunately, this is not a test that can be carried out very satisfactorily, since it is not usually possible to sit far enough behind the players to gain as good an overall balance as can be obtained from the auditorium in front of the orchestra. It is, however, possible to experience this effect by turning round when listening to a good stereo recording over loudspeakers or by reversing the left and right channels. — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1638

Categorization

• SEED: A short piece on ‘ear-training experiments you can run at home’ — flipping channels to hear a familiar recording from the other side of the ensemble.
• SHARE: Perfect tidbit for a hi-fi or choral-singing friend who’d immediately try the channel-swap trick.
• XREF: connects to: Energy at 3–5 kHz lets trained singers cut through an orchestra — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1369; Orchestral seating rearrangements change the stereo image listeners actually hear. — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1628; Turning around on a live recording reverses perceived orchestral space — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 1682 (+3 more)

Broader Connections

• Turning around on a live recording reverses perceived orchestral space #corroborates (1.00) — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 1682
• Headphone reversal changes the sound pattern yet not what listeners report hearing #qualifies (1.00) — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 2181
• Stereo recordings strip away the delayed sounds essential to live music #responds-to (1.00) — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 805
• Front sound sources can be misperceived as coming from behind #exemplifies (1.00)