Enveloped in Sound: Critical Listening in Immersive Environments for Tweakheads

Catalog description

Immersive Sound is one of the most significant developments in years, rivaling previous developments in visual and aural formats. From monaural sound to stereophonic sound, analogue to digital audio, or NTSC and high definition television to virtual reality, the audience is now provided with a natural, life-like three-dimensional aural experience. Unlike anything heard before, immersive audio creates the sensation of height all around the listener, transporting them into a more thrilling and deeper audio experience. Surround sound works because of the four ways humans perceive sound: audible, binaural, spatial, and cognitive. A surround sound mix often allows for more intimate, quieter overall sound as there are more point sources to deliver unique sounds for the ear to perceive. Compared with two-speaker, conventional stereo, surround sound offers better perception of object and sound location. Listeners more readily identify the general direction from which sounds are initiated with more accurate perception of tone due to the additional placement options of sound sources. There is also a significantly greater perception of ambience, since the listener can be more immersed in the listening field. But, what does all of this mean? Only by listening with a tuned and critical ear can one make critical evaluations.