Sound within one critical band is perceived as a single source

Evidence

The spatial resolution of hearing is limited within the auditory frequency bands (Blauert, 1996). In principle, all sound within one critical band can only be perceived as a single source with a broader or narrower extent. The limitations of spatial auditory perception raise the question of whether the spatial accuracy in reproduction of an acoustic wave field can be compromised without a decrease in perceptual quality. When some assumptions on the resolution of human spatial hearing are used to derive reproduction techniques, potentially an enhanced quality of reproduction is obtained. — Ville Pulkki, Matti Karjalainen, Communication Acoustics- An…, 1865

Categorization

• XREF: The principle that perceptual limits allow simpler reproduction connects to auditory perception work already read, and to the general theme that perceptual ceilings license engineering shortcuts.