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Re: for all you high end surround heads out there

Subject: Re: for all you high end surround heads out there
From: Walter Knapp <>
Date: Sat, 19 Jun 2004 23:47:58 -0400
From: Lang Elliott <>
> 
> Walt:
> 
> In our experiment at the NSS workshop, we did not hear the sounds coming
> from only four sources. We heard sounds all the way around. It is possible
> that there was some emphasis in the direction of the speakers, but we were
> not certain of this.
> 
> It is very important when doing a test to hide the speakers so that they do
> not draw one's attention. As I've mentioned before, we have a tendency in
> our brain to try to make sounds come out of speakers. This is because we've
> learned that sound does in fact come out of them. That learning biases our
> hearing if we see a speaker.

I think this is just some characteristic I have. Hiding speakers won't 
help. I can hear the soundfield, but also always hear it's source as 
points. When I really want to hear a stereo soundfield without that, I 
use headphones.

It's worse with the harder cones used in modern speakers. Something like 
the acoustic suspension 3-ways I have does not create near as much point 
source feeling. Those I built 35 years ago. If I was going for surround 
now I'd go for some of those older designs. Chris, before he died had a 
set of 4 such with large 15" speakers for the low end, set up as 
surround. That was nice. Unfortunately he left specific instructions to 
give all that to a friend. Who did not even know what they had.

Walt




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