Denominator7 Posted January 24, 2005 Report Share Posted January 24, 2005 Here's a point I've been pondering for a while, I'm interested to see what others think on this topic. I know that with binaural recordings, the left channel is meant to be heard ONLY by the left ear, and the right channel to be heard ONLY by the right ear. I think we can all agree on that. That is why binaural recordings sound a bit odd through speakers. When listening through speakers, some of the left channel is also heard by the right ear, and some of the right channel is heard by the left ear. I don't know this for sure, but I'm finding that most music being put out is mixed for use with a speaker systerm. As an example, if a certain instrument is wanted to sound as if it is on the LEFT side of the room, in its stereo image, they pan it left in mastering the recording, even if they put it all the way to the left speaker, it still sounds somewhere in between the speakers because your right ear is hearing some of it. Vice Versa for instruments on the right side of the stereo image, your left ear is going to hear some of that instrument panned to the right speaker. Now when we listen to this same recording with headphones, what sounded like it was over to the left side of the stereo image using speakers....is now BAM....WAY in your LEFT ear completely, and sounds they wanted to the far right in the stereo image with speakers, is totally in your RIGHT EAR! Very un-natural sounding. I am noticing this more and more as I listen with my headphones to music to which I used to listen with speakers. Ok now having set all of that up to illustrate my point... does anyone make a type of electronic "crossover" (for lack of a better description) that would incorporate some of the left channel into the right 'phone, and some of the right channel into the left 'phone? I think that this would give a more true stereo image as the sound engineers had meant it to be heard, but through your headphones. I hope I have gotten my point across with all of this, and I would enjoy reading others thoughts on this. Thanks Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhangraman Posted January 24, 2005 Report Share Posted January 24, 2005 (edited) Some links:Meier Audio: http://www.meier-audio.deHeadroom: http://www.headphone.comMost of their amps (portable and home) incorporate crossfeed. Meier also has a dedicated crossfeed module. Edited January 24, 2005 by bhangraman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeriyn Posted January 24, 2005 Report Share Posted January 24, 2005 There is also a Linkwitz DIY crossfeed board available from tangent.http://www.tangentsoft.net/audioPersonally I don't like crossfeed, the very channel separation situation that you take issue with is one of the reasons I love my headphones. It's aural bliss to me when Aikawa Nanase's band hits that guitar and synth instruments and it bounces from channel to channel... it's like whoooooa... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denominator7 Posted January 26, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2005 haha! point well taken aeriyn.... it is interesting to hear... The Beatles did a lot of panning in their studio recordings as well, but it is hard to notice using speakers, but very in-you-face with headphones!! well it's all good, everone's musical taste is different, which is a good thing. Thanks for the replies everyone, I do enjoy reading all the messages! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
streaml1ne Posted January 26, 2005 Report Share Posted January 26, 2005 haha! point well taken aeriyn.... it is interesting to hear... The Beatles did a lot of panning in their studio recordings as well, but it is hard to notice using speakers, but very in-you-face with headphones!! well it's all good, everone's musical taste is different, which is a good thing. Thanks for the replies everyone, I do enjoy reading all the messages!←How much of this is the receiver/hi-fi/player combination you're using on your component stereo vs the recording itself? Some equipment provides a wider/deeper sound than others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeriyn Posted January 27, 2005 Report Share Posted January 27, 2005 and you really need to get rid of those triports. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
me Posted January 27, 2005 Report Share Posted January 27, 2005 crossfeed = awesome. Hey, it doesn't monofi your audio, it justs adds a little. You can still have your stereo effects clearly, it justs gives you a smaller headache. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeriyn Posted January 27, 2005 Report Share Posted January 27, 2005 crossfeed = awesome. Hey, it doesn't monofi your audio, it justs adds a little. You can still have your stereo effects clearly, it justs gives you a smaller headache.←But I get no headache as it is. =P No, it doesn't monofi it, but the effects of crossfeed just don't turn me on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
me Posted January 27, 2005 Report Share Posted January 27, 2005 But I get no headache as it is. =P No, it doesn't monofi it, but the effects of crossfeed just don't turn me on.←Yeah, that's why the meier and headroom amps have the "disabled" option. You just made out that that crossfeed destroys stereo imagery, it doesn't. headroom had a good way of describing it:The headphone listener hears three things: A bubble of sound from the left ear, a bubble of sound from the right ear, and a combination of right and left to form a bubble in the middle right by your nose. Crossfeed blurs these three bubbles together and makes it more speaker like and digestible. It's a subtle effect but I've decided I like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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