Recording Techniques and their Effect on Sound Quality at Off-Center Listening Positions in 5.0 Surround Environments

Abstract

Assessments of listener preferences for different multichannel recording techniques typically focus on the sweet spot, the spatial area where the listener maintains optimal perception of the reproduced sound field. The purpose of this study is to explore how multichannel recording techniques affect the sound quality at off-center (non-sweet spot) listening positions in medium-sized rooms. Listening impressions of two musical excerpts created by three different multichannel recording techniques for multiple off-center positions are compared with the impression at the sweet spot in two different listening room environments. The choice of a recording technique significantly affects the sound quality at off-center positions relative to the sweet spot, and this finding depends on the type of listening environment. In the studio grade listening room environment featuring a standard loudspeaker configuration, the two tested spaced microphone techniques were rated better at off-center positions compared to the coincident Ambisonics technique. For the less controlled room environment, the interaction between recording technique and musical excerpt played a  significant role in listener preference.