[71 dB]

Why hearing both speakers with both ears is an advantage?

Because we tend to hear environmental sounds with our both ears and most recordings are mixed in studio hearing both speakers with both ears.

 

[gregorio]

Based on this response, it seems to me that most effects of soundstage are achieved through mastering and processing of the original track. However, some headphones definitely have more "wide" or "intimate" presentations than others. Why is this?

"Soundstage" is mostly defined during mixing but can be altered somewhat during mastering. Width is rather different to depth as it's based mainly on "panning", distributing the sound energy left or right, although relative timing has an affect too. "Intimate" is also somewhat different to depth although more closely related to depth than is width. To make something (an instrument, voice or channel) more intimate in a mix one would typically add compression, reduce or remove any added reverb and/or add some high-mid freq.

I'm not sure why some headphones have more width or intimacy, there could be several reasons; position of the drivers relative to the ear, individual isolation of each ear pad, being open or closed backed, personal perception (inc. bias), high-mid freq response or any combination these factors.

G

 

[castleofargh]

Because we tend to hear environmental sounds with our both ears and most recordings are mixed in studio hearing both speakers with both ears.

I think he meant the practical situation of having in effect one sound source coming from 2( or more) speakers.
albums are mastered with speakers in general so the assumed playback tools should be speakers too. we agree on this much but it could change at some point, or we can always try to get atypical material like binaural albums, and @jgazal is very interested in the next step and getting beyond the limitations of speakers. */me goes to find a "we're living in 2018 while he's in 3018" meme*.

 

[TYATYA]

Lets compare visual and audition.

In 3D movie, LR imagine is separately send to each LR eye. Each picture has section or area that over lap each other. Our brain job is to analyse and combine them in to one picture.
Because of there's angle shifting, it like real object in front of us when we looking at, an 3d model is rebuilt.

Then, audition is may be a rule. We have L and R audio sinal sending to each ear. But, we dont get same signal rebuilt in 3d space as a result. I think reason is recording in studio is make for speaker, not for headphones(1) and headphone locate is not same way with speaker(2).
For example, to make a tone posision at 1 oclock, recording engineer may pan signal fully to right side. Your speaker mostly at 1 oclock so you will hear that tone as it meant to be head. For headphone experience, we hear that tone somewhere a round right side driver = right ear.
(Depending on how much echo, reverb... the tone can be heard as far a bit on the right, but can not at 1 oclock)
Headphones have atleast one axis to reproduce space, distance around this axis.
Here is sample when music mixed to use on headphones.

 

[jgazal]

I guess in theory sometime down the road speakers and headphones (both with DSP and some accessories...) could achieve, if not identical, very similar performance.

But yes, without DSP, speakers and headphones are obviously different.

 

[skwoodwiva]

fone is the sound stage standard of quality. All is lost in anything but a 2 mike recording.

 

[SilverEars]

Something strange and interesting occured today while I was whatching Stranger Things on my smartphone with the iems that came with it. Nothing fancy, just stock ones.

There was a scene background music was playing and the vocals was at the center infront of me and I heard another instrument at between 9 to 10 O'clock. It was a metal banging instrument that has a clanky tonality. This instrument sounded distanced out.

This was not a binaural recording, but just a track on the background of a Netflix show on inear monitors on a portable device.

When people talk about imaging of earphones, this goes to show, pretty much majority responsible is the recording itself.

 

[SilverEars]

I think a bit of careful analysis should be conducted if looking to make concluding remarks. You'd have to take into consideration that the mastering is causing the imaging to a degree.

 

[bigshot]

Secondary depth cues (like echo and lower volume level and EQ) can fool your brain into believing it as depth. Sometimes it can sound very real. But other times, your brain interprets it differently and it flattens out. Believe it or not, what you are looking at can help make sound seem more dimensional. For instance if you are watching a movie that takes place in a cave, cave ambience can sound more realistic than if you are hearing it while you look at a movie taking place in a bedroom. The mind is pretty important to the interpretation of sound.

 

[skwoodwiva]

Secondary depth cues (like echo and lower volume level and EQ) can fool your brain into believing it as depth. Sometimes it can sound very real. But other times, your brain interprets it differently and it flattens out. Believe it or not, what you are looking at can help make sound seem more dimensional. For instance if you are watching a movie that takes place in a cave, cave ambience can sound more realistic than if you are hearing it while you look at a movie taking place in a bedroom. The mind is pretty important to the interpretation of sound.

Big... ahh ...

good post.

 

[skwoodwiva]

Something strange and interesting occured today while I was whatching Stranger Things on my smartphone with the iems that came with it. Nothing fancy, just stock ones.

There was a scene background music was playing and the vocals was at the center infront of me and I heard another instrument at between 9 to 10 O'clock. It was a metal banging instrument that has a clanky tonality. This instrument sounded distanced out.

This was not a binaural recording, but just a track on the background of a Netflix show on inear monitors on a portable device.

When people talk about imaging of earphones, this goes to show, pretty much majority responsible is the recording itself.

They may have used this, it is a deliberate manipulation, read devil!

 

[Glmoneydawg]

Still think phase information is more important than frequency response for imaging/soundstaging.

 

[skwoodwiva]

Still think phase information is more important than frequency response for imaging/soundstaging.

Absolutely

 

[castleofargh]

as an introduction to placement in space and how the sound changes, I think this is a good introduction:
http://courses.washington.edu/psy333/lecture_pdfs/chapter12_SoundLocalization.pdf

 

[skwoodwiva]

They may have used this, it is a deliberate manipulation, read devil!

Effing..
All this gizmo does is alter phase!
It is a stereo image warper.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!