Room correction cannot substitute for two-eared timbral and spatial perception
Evidence
Currently, “room correction” processes are widely dispersed throughout the audio industry. … The claim is that measurements of the steady-state sound field using an omnidirectional microphone, and signal processing by an algorithm, can repair imperfections in unknown loudspeakers in unknown rooms. There is no doubt that such a process can yield improvements at low frequencies for a single listener, but above the transition frequency to claim that a smoothed steady-state room curve derived from an omnidirectional microphone is an adequate substitute for the timbral and spatial perceptions by two ears and a brain is absurd. However, it clearly can be good business. — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 1507
Categorization
- XREF: Builds on the earlier soundscape/silence books’ theme that microphones and meters flatten what two ears and a brain perceive. — connects to: Timbral quality dominates perceived sound quality over spatial reproduction — Ville Pulkki, Matti Karjalainen, Communication Acoustics- An…, 2375; Spatial audio systems create illusions of direction and space rather than reproducing them exactly; Binaural auditory models cannot yet explain human perception of complex spatial audio — Ville Pulkki, Matti Karjalainen, Communication Acoustics- An…, 2378 (+1 more)
- ADDENDUM: Supports a corrective angle for the sound-quality writing: where hardware EQ is genuinely useful (low bass for one listener) versus where it is marketing.
Related
- Steady-state room curves above 400-500 Hz misrepresent perceived sound quality. (similarity 0.84)
- Room reflections cannot be corrected by electronic equalization (similarity 0.83)
- Matching room curves via EQ does not equalize audible sound quality. (similarity 0.83)
- Stereo reproduction injects room and speaker location cues unrelated to the recording (similarity 0.82)
- A single steady-state room curve cannot represent what two ears and a brain perceive. (similarity 0.82)
- Spatial envelopment requires uncorrelated ear signals, not a diffuse sound field (similarity 0.82)
- Room curves cannot define perceived sound quality on their own (similarity 0.82)
- Room acoustics smear directional perception and mask recorded reverberation (similarity 0.81)
- Room reflection effects are masked by spatial information already in recordings (similarity 0.81)
- Human auditory adaptation neutralizes room acoustics but not device imperfections (similarity 0.81)
- Recording technique is the prime determinant of spatial impressions in sound reproduction (similarity 0.81)
- Loudspeakers and room acoustics remain the weak link in audio quality (similarity 0.81)
- Recorded spatial content, not loudspeakers, dominates stereo perception (similarity 0.81)
- Human hearing adapts to different room acoustics to preserve timbre perception (similarity 0.81)
- Directional coincident microphones suppress room reverberation, killing sense of space (similarity 0.81)
Broader Connections
- Timbral quality dominates perceived sound quality over spatial reproduction
#complicates(0.78) — Ville Pulkki, Matti Karjalainen, Communication Acoustics- An…, 2375 - Spatial audio systems create illusions of direction and space rather than reproducing them exactly
#expands(0.75) - Binaural auditory models cannot yet explain human perception of complex spatial audio
#expands(0.72) — Ville Pulkki, Matti Karjalainen, Communication Acoustics- An…, 2378 - Room reverberation time varies with frequency, altering perceived timbre
#expands(0.72) — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1876