Loudspeaker Imaging

By Eddie Runner (NU5K)

I drew these crude drawings by hand maybe I will try to redraw them with the computer later

Localizing sounds from loudspeakers and the effects other speakers
and reflections could have on the imaging.

Sound localization (where a sound appears to be coming from) changes with frequency. its much easier to tell exactly where highs are coming from than deep lows because the wavelengths are much shorter. If your sitting blindfolded in a listening area the areas in blue are an approximation of where the sound seems to be coming from in relation to the single speaker.. This is very general, as bass goes lower it is very hard to localize, we might have to color the whole listening are blue.
Single speaker With a single speaker its pretty easy to tell where the speaker is and the sound coming from it will appear to come from the area in blue
With a pair of speaker IN PHASE, its very common when both speakers play the exact same sound the sound can appear to be coming from the center.
If the same speakers were wired out of phase the similar sounds from both speakers would cancel in the middle possibly giving the illusion of a wider soundstage. Some sound engineers have done this on purpose for certain midrange frequencies. I don't recommend this without lots of listening tests Most of the time when this happens its simply because the installer wired it up wrong.
This is an indication of what might happen in a car with the reflective side windows. This is only one speaker.
This is an illustration with 2 speakers mounted in car doors or kick panels, it illustrates how the reflective front window in the car may give a boost to the sounds in that area making the soundstage sound higher than the speakers really are
Here is a typical pair of speakers in a car, the imaging might be affected by the front window as well as the side windows. The IN CAR imaging is likely way more complex than these drawings indicate, but hopefully it will give folks a foundation to build their own experimenting with.

River Oaks Car Stereo
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