UBC Wiki - User contributions [en]

Course:PHYS341/Archive/2016wTerm2/LoudSpeakerSweetSpot

2017-04-07T22:24:55Z

JaneGriffiths:

[[Category:PHYS341-2017|Loud Speaker Sweet Spot]]

<big><big><big>Loudspeaker Sweet Spot</big></big></big>

The loudspeaker sweet spot is the location between two loudspeakers where the sound played through the speakers is heard how it is intended to be heard, as if it were being played by a live acoustic band. Making music be perceived as if it were being played live can be achieved through headphones; left and right headphones can each play a different track that sound together to play audio to mimic the effect of live music. When listening to live, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoustic_music acoustic music], the sound heard by the listener is dependent on the attributes and atmospheric qualities of the area. For example, echoes, reflections and reverberations create a unique sound for the listener. Additionally, depending on the distance between the musicians and the listener, listeners can usually deduce where the sound is coming from. All of these qualities come together to give live music, especially when it’s played in a well-designed and thought-out concert hall, its rich and three-dimensional sound. Sometimes, these qualities are critical to the music, so music is recorded in a way that makes it sound like the listener is at a live performance. The process of recording sounds that are different in each ear to create a 3D effect is called [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binaural_recording binaural recording]. This 3D effect can be nearly perfectly demonstrated through headphones, because different sounds are directed into each ear. However, when music is played over loudspeakers in a large area, it is difficult to maintain this effect because of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstalk crosstalk]. Crosstalk is the issue that the output from both speakers can be heard with both ears, which reduces the binaural effect. <ref name="reference 1">Lacouture Parodi, Y., Rubak, P. (2010). Objective evaluation of the sweet spot size in spatial sound reproduction using elevated loudspeakers. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 128(3), 1045–1055. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.1121/1.3467763</ref> Two crosstalk minimization – and therefore sweet spot maximization – methods are placing the loudspeakers close together, and placing the loudspeakers at an inclined angle.
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__TOC__

===Horizontal Placement===
[[Image:Position1.png‎|thumbnail|Fig. 1 This diagram represents two speakers that are placed far apart. One can see that if the listener shifts their position, the distance between he or she and each speaker largely changes. He or she will be much closer to one speaker than the other. (Made with small scale)]]
[[Image:Position2.png‎|thumbnail|right|Fig. 2 This diagram represents two speakers that are placed closer together. One can see that if the listener shifts their position, the distance between he or she and each speaker changes less than if the speakers are far apart. The listener will still be able to hear each speaker separately. (Made with small scale)]]

Multiple studies have come to the conclusion that placing speakers closer together increases the size of the sweet spot.<ref name="reference 1"/><ref name="reference 4">Bai, Mingsian R., Lee, Chih-Chung. (2006). Objective and subjective analysis of effects of listening angle on crosstalk cancellation in spatial sound reproduction. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 120(4). Retrieved from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1121/1.2257986</ref> If the speakers are closer together, there are less variations of distances between listeners and the speakers.<ref name="reference 1"/> This is demonstrated in figures [http://wiki.ubc.ca/File:Position1.png 1] and [http://wiki.ubc.ca/File:Position2.png 2]. If two loudspeakers are placed farther apart, there would be a sweet spot in the middle of the two but as a listener got slightly closer to one speaker, that speaker would dominate. If the loudspeakers are closer together, there is a larger range in which the listener can hear both signals. However, if the speakers are too close together then the binaural effect is eliminated completely and it will sound as if there is only one speaker.

Another feature that contributes to the location of the sweet spot is the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frequency frequency] of the sounds coming from the loudspeakers. High frequency sound waves have short [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wavelength wavelengths] that are directed in the direction the speaker is facing, and spread out minimally. Low frequency sound waves have long wavelengths that spread out in all directions and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffraction diffract] around objects. The long-wavelength, low-frequency sounds reach a larger area and travel further. Considering the difference in frequencies, in situations where a loudspeaker set-up has both [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tweeter tweeters] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subwoofer subwoofers], the angle of the two different speakers can vary.

Overall, the exact optimal horizontal location of two speakers is dependent on a number of factors, including the frequency of the sound coming out of the speakers and the room in which they are being played. The walls of a room can reflect sound, and every room is different. Because of this, the optimal location varies, but placing the speakers at an angle in front of the listener rather than to the side has proven to be the most successful.

===Vertical Placement===
[[File:Loudspeaker Vertical Placement.JPG|thumb| Fig. 3 This photo represents two different speaker placements on a vertical axis. Speaker placement 1, demonstrates that when the speaker is at the same height level as the listener, the ear on the far side (in this diagram the left ear) is in the sound shadow of the head. Speaker placement 2, demonstrates that when the speaker is at an inclined angle, the sound waves are not coming directly at the listener and therefore the effects of interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue are lessened.]]

Studies show that the elevation of the speakers has an effect on the size of the sweet spot. With respect to head rotations, when the speakers are at a higher elevation, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstalk crosstalk] is minimized and the sweet spot area is increased. The two physical phenomena that must be considered when optimizing the sweet spot size are interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue.

Interaural amplitude difference occurs when one ear is closer to the sound source than the other. The ear further from the sound source is in a “sound shadow of the head” <ref name="book">White, H., White, D. (2014). Physics and Music: The Science of Musical Sound. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications</ref> and the loudness is altered depending on frequency. In the case of high frequencies, if the wavelength is smaller than the size of the head, the sound is blocked and will be much quieter to the ear on the opposite side of the head. In the case of low frequencies, if the wavelength is longer than the size of the head, the sound can sometimes [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffraction diffract] and become louder to the ear on the opposite side of head.<ref name="slides">Waltham, C. (2017). Lecture 28: Aural Perception [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from: http://wiki.ubc.ca/Course:PHYS341/Lectures/Lecture_30</ref>

Interaural time delay cue is when there is a difference in the time of arrival of the sound at the two ears because one ear is closer to the sound source than the other.<ref name="book"/>

If the listener turns their head when loudspeakers are played, the sound they hear is different than is intended due to these interaural effects. However, if the loudspeakers are placed above the head, when the listener turns their head there is little interaural time delay cue and little interaural amplitude difference. Therefore, optimal performance is obtained when the loudspeakers are placed at a level above the listener's head. <ref name="reference 1"/>

To summarize, the optimal location of loudspeakers to maximize the sweet spot is above head-level and in front of the listener. Vertically, when the speakers are closer to being directly above the listener's head, the effects of interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue are minimized and the size of the loudspeaker sweet spot is increased. If the speakers are placed too close together horizontally, the binaural effect will be eliminated. If they are too far apart, then there is a higher chance of the distance between the listener and each speaker being different, and therefore causing one of the speakers to dominate. The exact optimal horizontal placement varies, but studies consistently show that placing the speakers closer together increases the size of the sweet spot.<ref name="reference 1"/><ref name="reference 4"/>

==References==

<references/>

Course:PHYS341/Archive/2016wTerm2/LoudSpeakerSweetSpot

2017-04-06T14:49:27Z

JaneGriffiths:

[[Category:PHYS341-2017|Loud Speaker Sweet Spot]]

<big><big><big>Loudspeaker Sweet Spot</big></big></big>

The loudspeaker sweet spot is the location between two loudspeakers where the sound played through the speakers is heard how it is intended to be heard, as if it were being played by a live acoustic band. Making music be perceived as if it were being played live can be achieved through headphones; left and right headphones can each play a different track that sound together to play audio to mimic the effect of live music. When listening to live, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoustic_music acoustic music], the sound heard by the listener is dependent on the attributes and atmospheric qualities of the area. For example, echoes, reflections and reverberations create a unique sound for the listener. Additionally, depending on the distance between the musicians and the listener, listeners can usually deduce where the sound is coming from. All of these qualities come together to give live music, especially when it’s played in a well-designed and thought-out concert hall, its rich and three-dimensional sound. Sometimes, these qualities are critical to the music, so music is recorded in a way that makes it sound like the listener is at a live performance. The process of recording sounds that are different in each ear to create a 3D effect is called [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binaural_recording binaural recording]. This 3D effect can be nearly perfectly demonstrated through headphones, because different sounds are directed into each ear. However, when music is played over loudspeakers in a large area, it is difficult to maintain this effect because of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstalk crosstalk]. Crosstalk is the issue that the output from both speakers can be heard with both ears, which reduces the binaural effect. <ref name="reference 1">Lacouture Parodi, Y., Rubak, P. (2010). Objective evaluation of the sweet spot size in spatial sound reproduction using elevated loudspeakers. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 128(3), 1045–1055. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.1121/1.3467763</ref> Two crosstalk minimization – and therefore sweet spot maximization – methods are placing the loudspeakers close together, and placing the loudspeakers at an inclined angle.
{{Help Nav}}
__TOC__

===Horizontal Placement===
[[Image:Position1.png‎|thumbnail|Fig. 1 This diagram represents two speakers that are placed far apart. One can see that if the listener shifts their position, the distance between he or she and each speaker largely changes. He or she will be much closer to one speaker than the other. (Made with small scale)]]
[[Image:Position2.png‎|thumbnail|right|Fig. 2 This diagram represents two speakers that are placed closer together. One can see that if the listener shifts their position, the distance between he or she and each speaker changes less than if the speakers are far apart. The listener will still be able to hear each speaker separately. (Made with small scale)]]

Multiple studies have come to the conclusion that placing speakers closer together increases the size of the sweet spot.<ref name="reference 1"/><ref name="reference 4">Bai, Mingsian R., Lee, Chih-Chung. (2006). Objective and subjective analysis of effects of listening angle on crosstalk cancellation in spatial sound reproduction. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 120(4). Retrieved from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1121/1.2257986</ref> If the speakers are closer together, there are less variations of distances between listeners and the speakers.<ref name="reference 1"/> This is demonstrated in figures [http://wiki.ubc.ca/File:Position1.png 1] and [http://wiki.ubc.ca/File:Position2.png 2]. If two loudspeakers are placed farther apart, there would be a sweet spot in the middle of the two but as a listener got slightly closer to one speaker, that speaker would dominate. If the loudspeakers are closer together, there is a larger range in which the listener can hear both signals. However, if the speakers are too close together then the binaural effect is eliminated completely and it will sound as if there is only one speaker.

Another feature that contributes to the location of the sweet spot is the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frequency frequency] of the sounds coming from the loudspeakers. High frequency sound waves have short [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wavelength wavelengths] that are directed in the direction the speaker is facing, and spread out minimally. Low frequency sound waves have long wavelengths that spread out in all directions and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffraction diffract] around objects. The long-wavelength, low-frequency sounds reach a larger area and travel further. Considering the difference in frequencies, in situations where a loudspeaker set-up has both [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tweeter tweeters] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subwoofer subwoofers], the angle of the two different speakers can vary.

Overall, the exact optimal horizontal location of two speakers is dependent on a number of factors, including the frequency of the sound coming out of the speakers and the room in which they are being played. The walls of a room can reflect sound, and every room is different. Because of this, the optimal location varies, but placing the speakers at an angle in front of the listener rather than to the side has proven to be the most successful.

===Vertical Placement===
[[File:Loudspeaker Vertical Placement.JPG|thumb| Fig. 3 This diagram represents two different speaker placements on a vertical axis. Speaker placement 1, demonstrates that when the speaker is at the same height level as the listener, the ear on the far side (in this diagram the left ear) is in the sound shadow of the head. Speaker placement 2, demonstrates that when the speaker is at an inclined angle, the sound waves are not coming directly at the listener and therefore the effects of interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue are lessened.]]

Studies show that the elevation of the speakers has an effect on the size of the sweet spot. With respect to head rotations, when the speakers are at a higher elevation, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstalk crosstalk] is minimized and the sweet spot area is increased. The two physical phenomena that must be considered when optimizing the sweet spot size are interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue.

Interaural amplitude difference occurs when one ear is closer to the sound source than the other. The ear further from the sound source is in a “sound shadow of the head” <ref name="book">White, H., White, D. (2014). Physics and Music: The Science of Musical Sound. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications</ref> and the loudness is altered depending on frequency. In the case of high frequencies, if the wavelength is smaller than the size of the head, the sound is blocked and will be much quieter to the ear on the opposite side of the head. In the case of low frequencies, if the wavelength is longer than the size of the head, the sound can sometimes [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffraction diffract] and become louder to the ear on the opposite side of head.<ref name="slides">Waltham, C. (2017). Lecture 28: Aural Perception [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from: http://wiki.ubc.ca/Course:PHYS341/Lectures/Lecture_30</ref>

Interaural time delay cue is when there is a difference in the time of arrival of the sound at the two ears because one ear is closer to the sound source than the other.<ref name="book"/>

If the listener turns their head when loudspeakers are played, the sound they hear is different than is intended due to these interaural effects. However, if the loudspeakers are placed above the head, when the listener turns their head there is little interaural time delay cue and little interaural amplitude difference. Therefore, optimal performance is obtained when the loudspeakers are placed at a level above the listener's head. <ref name="reference 1"/>

To summarize, the optimal location of loudspeakers to maximize the sweet spot is above head-level and in front of the listener. Vertically, when the speakers are closer to being directly above the listener's head, the effects of interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue are minimized and the size of the loudspeaker sweet spot is increased. If the speakers are placed too close together horizontally, the binaural effect will be eliminated. If they are too far apart, then there is a higher chance of the distance between the listener and each speaker being different, and therefore causing one of the speakers to dominate. The exact optimal horizontal placement varies, but studies consistently show that placing the speakers closer together increases the size of the sweet spot.<ref name="reference 1"/><ref name="reference 4"/>

==References==

<references/>

Course:PHYS341/Archive/2016wTerm2/LoudSpeakerSweetSpot

2017-04-04T01:36:24Z

JaneGriffiths:

[[Category:PHYS341-2017|Loud Speaker Sweet Spot]]

<big><big><big>Loudspeaker Sweet Spot</big></big></big>

The loudspeaker sweet spot is the location between two loudspeakers where the sound played through the speakers is heard how it is intended to be heard, as if it were being played by a live acoustic band. Making music be perceived as if it were being played live can be achieved through headphones; left and right headphones can each play a different track that sound together to play audio to mimic the effect of live music. When listening to live, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoustic_music acoustic music], the sound heard by the listener is dependent on the attributes and atmospheric qualities of the area. For example, echoes, reflections and reverberations create a unique sound for the listener. Additionally, depending on the distance between the musicians and the listener, listeners can usually deduce where the sound is coming from. All of these qualities come together to give live music, especially when it’s played in a well-designed and thought-out concert hall, its rich and three-dimensional sound. Sometimes, these qualities are critical to the music, so music is recorded in a way that makes it sound like the listener is at a live performance. The process of recording sounds that are different in each ear to create a 3D effect is called [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binaural_recording binaural recording]. This 3D effect can be nearly perfectly demonstrated through headphones, because different sounds are directed into each ear. However, when music is played over loudspeakers in a large area, it is difficult to maintain this effect because of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstalk crosstalk]. Crosstalk is the issue that the output from both speakers can be heard with both ears, which reduces the binaural effect. <ref name="reference 1">Lacouture Parodi, Y., Rubak, P. (2010). Objective evaluation of the sweet spot size in spatial sound reproduction using elevated loudspeakers. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 128(3), 1045–1055. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.1121/1.3467763</ref> Two crosstalk minimization – and therefore sweet spot maximization – methods are placing the loudspeakers close together, and placing the loudspeakers at an inclined angle.
{{Help Nav}}
__TOC__

===Horizontal Placement===
[[Image:Position1.png‎|thumbnail|Fig. 1 This diagram represents two speakers that are placed far apart. One can see that if the listener shifts their position, the distance between he or she and each speaker largely changes. He or she will be much closer to one speaker than the other. (Made with small scale)]]
[[Image:Position2.png‎|thumbnail|right|Fig. 2 This diagram represents two speakers that are placed closer together. One can see that if the listener shifts their position, the distance between he or she and each speaker changes less than if the speakers are far apart. The listener will still be able to hear each speaker separately. (Made with small scale)]]

Multiple studies have come to the conclusion that placing speakers closer together increases the size of the sweet spot.<ref name="reference 1"/><ref name="reference 4">Bai, Mingsian R., Lee, Chih-Chung. (2006). Objective and subjective analysis of effects of listening angle on crosstalk cancellation in spatial sound reproduction. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 120(4). Retrieved from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1121/1.2257986</ref> If the speakers are closer together, there are less variations of distances between listeners and the speakers.<ref name="reference 1"/> This is demonstrated in figures [http://wiki.ubc.ca/File:Position1.png 1] and [http://wiki.ubc.ca/File:Position2.png 2]. If two loudspeakers are placed farther apart, there would be a sweet spot in the middle of the two but as a listener got slightly closer to one speaker, that speaker would dominate. If the loudspeakers are closer together, there is a larger range in which the listener can hear both signals. However, if the speakers are too close together then the binaural effect is eliminated completely and it will sound as if there is only one speaker.

Another feature that contributes to the location of the sweet spot is the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frequency frequency] of the sounds coming from the loudspeakers. High frequency sound waves have short [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wavelength wavelengths] that are directed in the direction the speaker is facing, and spread out minimally. Low frequency sound waves have long wavelengths that spread out in all directions and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffraction diffract] around objects. The long-wavelength, low-frequency sounds reach a larger area and travel further. Considering the difference in frequencies, in situations where a loudspeaker set-up has both [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tweeter tweeters] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subwoofer subwoofers], the angle of the two different speakers can vary.

Overall, the exact optimal horizontal location of two speakers is dependent on a number of factors, including the frequency of the sound coming out of the speakers and the room in which they are being played. The walls of a room can reflect sound, and every room is different. Because of this, the optimal location varies, but placing the speakers at an angle in front of the listener rather than to the side has proven to be the most successful.

===Vertical Placement===
Studies show that the elevation of the speakers has an effect on the size of the sweet spot. With respect to head rotations, when the speakers are at a higher elevation, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstalk crosstalk] is minimized and the sweet spot area is increased. The two physical phenomena that must be considered when optimizing the sweet spot size are interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue.

Interaural amplitude difference occurs when one ear is closer to the sound source than the other. The ear further from the sound source is in a “sound shadow of the head” <ref name="book">White, H., White, D. (2014). Physics and Music: The Science of Musical Sound. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications</ref> and the loudness is altered depending on frequency. In the case of high frequencies, if the wavelength is smaller than the size of the head, the sound is blocked and will be much quieter to the ear on the opposite side of the head. In the case of low frequencies, if the wavelength is longer than the size of the head, the sound can sometimes [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffraction diffract] and become louder to the ear on the opposite side of head.<ref name="slides">Waltham, C. (2017). Lecture 28: Aural Perception [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from: http://wiki.ubc.ca/Course:PHYS341/Lectures/Lecture_30</ref>

Interaural time delay cue is when there is a difference in the time of arrival of the sound at the two ears because one ear is closer to the sound source than the other.<ref name="book"/>

If the listener turns their head when loudspeakers are played, the sound they hear is different than is intended due to these interaural effects. However, if the loudspeakers are placed above the head, when the listener turns their head there is little interaural time delay cue and little interaural amplitude difference. Therefore, optimal performance is obtained when the loudspeakers are placed at a level above the listener's head. <ref name="reference 1"/>

To summarize, the optimal location of loudspeakers to maximize the sweet spot is above head-level and in front of the listener. Vertically, when the speakers are closer to being directly above the listener's head, the effects of interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue are minimized and the size of the loudspeaker sweet spot is increased. If the speakers are placed too close together horizontally, the binaural effect will be eliminated. If they are too far apart, then there is a higher chance of the distance between the listener and each speaker being different, and therefore causing one of the speakers to dominate. The exact optimal horizontal placement varies, but studies consistently show that placing the speakers closer together increases the size of the sweet spot.<ref name="reference 1"/><ref name="reference 4"/>

==References==

<references/>

Course:PHYS341/Archive/2016wTerm2/LoudSpeakerSweetSpot

2017-04-04T01:34:13Z

JaneGriffiths:

[[Category:PHYS341-2017|Loud Speaker Sweet Spot]]

<big><big><big>Loudspeaker Sweet Spot</big></big></big>

The loudspeaker sweet spot is the location between two loudspeakers where the sound played through the speakers is heard how it is intended to be heard, as if it were being played by a live acoustic band. Making music be perceived as if it were being played live can be achieved through headphones; left and right headphones can each play a different track that sound together to play audio to mimic the effect of live music. When listening to live, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoustic_music acoustic music], the sound heard by the listener is dependent on the attributes and atmospheric qualities of the area. For example, echoes, reflections and reverberations create a unique sound for the listener. Additionally, depending on the distance between the musicians and the listener, listeners can usually deduce where the sound is coming from. All of these qualities come together to give live music, especially when it’s played in a well-designed and thought-out concert hall, its rich and three-dimensional sound. Sometimes, these qualities are critical to the music, so music is recorded in a way that makes it sound like the listener is at a live performance. The process of recording sounds that are different in each ear to create a 3D effect is called [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binaural_recording binaural recording]. This 3D effect can be nearly perfectly demonstrated through headphones, because different sounds are directed into each ear. However, when music is played over loudspeakers in a large area, it is difficult to maintain this effect because of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstalk crosstalk]. Crosstalk is the issue that the output from both speakers can be heard with both ears, which reduces the binaural effect. <ref name="reference 1">Lacouture Parodi, Y., Rubak, P. (2010). Objective evaluation of the sweet spot size in spatial sound reproduction using elevated loudspeakers. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 128(3), 1045–1055. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.1121/1.3467763</ref> Two crosstalk minimization – and therefore sweet spot maximization – methods are placing the loudspeakers close together, and placing the loudspeakers at an inclined angle.
{{Help Nav}}
__TOC__

===Horizontal Placement===
[[Image:Position1.png‎|thumbnail|Fig. 1 This diagram represents two speakers that are placed far apart. One can see that if the listener shifts their position, the distance between he or she and each speaker largely changes. He or she will be much closer to one speaker than the other. (Made with small scale)]]
[[Image:Position2.png‎|thumbnail|right|Fig. 2 This diagram represents two speakers that are placed closer together. One can see that if the listener shifts their position, the distance between he or she and each speaker changes less than if the speakers are far apart. The listener will still be able to hear each speaker separately. (Made with small scale)]]

Multiple studies have come to the conclusion that placing speakers closer together increases the size of the sweet spot.<ref name="reference 1"/><ref name="reference 4">Bai, Mingsian R., Lee, Chih-Chung. (2006). Objective and subjective analysis of effects of listening angle on crosstalk cancellation in spatial sound reproduction. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 120(4). Retrieved from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1121/1.2257986</ref> If the speakers are closer together, there are less variations of distances between listeners and the speakers.<ref name="reference 1"/> This is demonstrated in figures 1 and 2. If two loudspeakers are placed farther apart, there would be a sweet spot in the middle of the two but as a listener got slightly closer to one speaker, that speaker would dominate. If the loudspeakers are closer together, there is a larger range in which the listener can hear both signals. However, if the speakers are too close together then the binaural effect is eliminated completely and it will sound as if there is only one speaker.

Another feature that contributes to the location of the sweet spot is the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frequency frequency] of the sounds coming from the loudspeakers. High frequency sound waves have short [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wavelength wavelengths] that are directed in the direction the speaker is facing, and spread out minimally. Low frequency sound waves have long wavelengths that spread out in all directions and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffraction diffract] around objects. The long-wavelength, low-frequency sounds reach a larger area and travel further. Considering the difference in frequencies, in situations where a loudspeaker set-up has both [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tweeter tweeters] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subwoofer subwoofers], the angle of the two different speakers can vary.

Overall, the exact optimal horizontal location of two speakers is dependent on a number of factors, including the frequency of the sound coming out of the speakers and the room in which they are being played. The walls of a room can reflect sound, and every room is different. Because of this, the optimal location varies, but placing the speakers at an angle in front of the listener rather than to the side has proven to be the most successful.

===Vertical Placement===
Studies show that the elevation of the speakers has an effect on the size of the sweet spot. With respect to head rotations, when the speakers are at a higher elevation, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstalk crosstalk] is minimized and the sweet spot area is increased. The two physical phenomena that must be considered when optimizing the sweet spot size are interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue.

Interaural amplitude difference occurs when one ear is closer to the sound source than the other. The ear further from the sound source is in a “sound shadow of the head” <ref name="book">White, H., White, D. (2014). Physics and Music: The Science of Musical Sound. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications</ref> and the loudness is altered depending on frequency. In the case of high frequencies, if the wavelength is smaller than the size of the head, the sound is blocked and will be much quieter to the ear on the opposite side of the head. In the case of low frequencies, if the wavelength is longer than the size of the head, the sound can sometimes [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffraction diffract] and become louder to the ear on the opposite side of head.<ref name="slides">Waltham, C. (2017). Lecture 28: Aural Perception [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from: http://wiki.ubc.ca/Course:PHYS341/Lectures/Lecture_30</ref>

Interaural time delay cue is when there is a difference in the time of arrival of the sound at the two ears because one ear is closer to the sound source than the other.<ref name="book"/>

If the listener turns their head when loudspeakers are played, the sound they hear is different than is intended due to these interaural effects. However, if the loudspeakers are placed above the head, when the listener turns their head there is little interaural time delay cue and little interaural amplitude difference. Therefore, optimal performance is obtained when the loudspeakers are placed at a level above the listener's head. <ref name="reference 1"/>

To summarize, the optimal location of loudspeakers to maximize the sweet spot is above head-level and in front of the listener. Vertically, when the speakers are closer to being directly above the listener's head, the effects of interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue are minimized and the size of the loudspeaker sweet spot is increased. If the speakers are placed too close together horizontally, the binaural effect will be eliminated. If they are too far apart, then there is a higher chance of the distance between the listener and each speaker being different, and therefore causing one of the speakers to dominate. The exact optimal horizontal placement varies, but studies consistently show that placing the speakers closer together increases the size of the sweet spot.<ref name="reference 1"/><ref name="reference 4"/>

==References==

<references/>

Course:PHYS341/Archive/2016wTerm2/LoudSpeakerSweetSpot

2017-04-04T01:33:33Z

JaneGriffiths:

[[Category:PHYS341-2017|Loud Speaker Sweet Spot]]

<big><big><big>Loudspeaker Sweet Spot</big></big></big>

The loudspeaker sweet spot is the location between two loudspeakers where the sound played through the speakers is heard how it is intended to be heard, as if it were being played by a live acoustic band. Making music be perceived as if it were being played live can be achieved through headphones; left and right headphones can each play a different track that sound together to play audio to mimic the effect of live music. When listening to live, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoustic_music acoustic music], the sound heard by the listener is dependent on the attributes and atmospheric qualities of the area. For example, echoes, reflections and reverberations create a unique sound for the listener. Additionally, depending on the distance between the musicians and the listener, listeners can usually deduce where the sound is coming from. All of these qualities come together to give live music, especially when it’s played in a well-designed and thought-out concert hall, its rich and three-dimensional sound. Sometimes, these qualities are critical to the music, so music is recorded in a way that makes it sound like the listener is at a live performance. The process of recording sounds that are different in each ear to create a 3D effect is called [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binaural_recording binaural recording]. This 3D effect can be nearly perfectly demonstrated through headphones, because different sounds are directed into each ear. However, when music is played over loudspeakers in a large area, it is difficult to maintain this effect because of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstalk crosstalk]. Crosstalk is the issue that the output from both speakers can be heard with both ears, which reduces the binaural effect. <ref name="reference 1">Lacouture Parodi, Y., Rubak, P. (2010). Objective evaluation of the sweet spot size in spatial sound reproduction using elevated loudspeakers. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 128(3), 1045–1055. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.1121/1.3467763</ref> Two crosstalk minimization – and therefore sweet spot maximization – methods are placing the loudspeakers close together, and placing the loudspeakers at an inclined angle.
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__TOC__

===Horizontal Placement===
[[Image:Position1.png‎|thumbnail|Fig. 1 This diagram represents two speakers that are placed far apart. One can see that if the listener shifts their position, the distance between he or she and each speaker largely changes. He or she will be much closer to one speaker than the other. (Made with small scale)]]
[[Image:Position2.png‎|thumbnail|right|Fig. 2 This diagram represents two speakers that are placed closer together. One can see that if the listener shifts their position, the distance between he or she and each speaker changes less than if the speakers are far apart. The listener will still be able to hear each speaker separately. (Made with small scale)]]

Multiple studies have come to the conclusion that placing speakers closer together increases the size of the sweet spot.<ref name="reference 1"/><ref name="reference 4">Bai, Mingsian R., Lee, Chih-Chung. (2006). Objective and subjective analysis of effects of listening angle on crosstalk cancellation in spatial sound reproduction. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 120(4). Retrieved from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1121/1.2257986</ref> If the speakers are closer together, there are less variations of distances between listeners and the speakers.<ref name="reference 1"/> This is demonstrated in figures 1 and 2. If two loudspeakers are placed farther apart, there would be a sweet spot in the middle of the two but as a listener got slightly closer to one speaker, that speaker would dominate. If the loudspeakers are closer together, there is a larger range in which the listener can hear both signals. However, if the speakers are too close together then the binaural effect is eliminated completely and it will sound as if there is only one speaker.

Another feature that contributes to the location of the sweet spot is the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frequency frequency] of the sounds coming from the loudspeakers. High frequency sound waves have short [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wavelength wavelengths] that are directed in the direction the speaker is facing, and spread out minimally. Low frequency sound waves have long wavelengths that spread out in all directions and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffraction diffract] around objects. The long-wavelength, low-frequency sounds reach a larger area and travel further. Considering the difference in frequencies, in situations where a loudspeaker set-up has both [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tweeter tweeters] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subwoofer subwoofers], the angle of the two different speakers can vary.

Overall, the exact optimal horizontal location of two speakers is dependent on a number of factors, including the frequency of the sound coming out of the speakers and the room in which they are being played. The walls of a room can reflect sound, and every room is different. Because of this, the optimal location varies, but placing the speakers at an angle in front of the listener rather than to the side has proven to be the most successful.

===Vertical Placement===
Studies show that the elevation of the speakers has an effect on the size of the sweet spot. With respect to head rotations, when the speakers are at a higher elevation, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstalk crosstalk] is minimized and the sweet spot area is increased. The two physical phenomena that must be considered when optimizing the sweet spot size are interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue.

Interaural amplitude difference occurs when one ear is closer to the sound source than the other. The ear further from the sound source is in a “sound shadow of the head” <ref name="book">White, H., White, D. (2014). Physics and Music: The Science of Musical Sound. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications</ref> and the loudness is altered depending on frequency. In the case of high frequencies, if the wavelength is smaller than the size of the head, the sound is blocked and will be much quieter to the ear on the opposite side of the head. In the case of low frequencies, if the wavelength is longer than the size of the head, the sound can sometimes [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffraction diffract] and become louder to the ear on the opposite side of head.<ref name="slides">Waltham, C. (2017). Lecture 28: Aural Perception [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://wiki.ubc.ca/Course:PHYS341/Lectures/Lecture_30</ref>

Interaural time delay cue is when there is a difference in the time of arrival of the sound at the two ears because one ear is closer to the sound source than the other.<ref name="book"/>

If the listener turns their head when loudspeakers are played, the sound they hear is different than is intended due to these interaural effects. However, if the loudspeakers are placed above the head, when the listener turns their head there is little interaural time delay cue and little interaural amplitude difference. Therefore, optimal performance is obtained when the loudspeakers are placed at a level above the listener's head. <ref name="reference 1"/>

To summarize, the optimal location of loudspeakers to maximize the sweet spot is above head-level and in front of the listener. Vertically, when the speakers are closer to being directly above the listener's head, the effects of interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue are minimized and the size of the loudspeaker sweet spot is increased. If the speakers are placed too close together horizontally, the binaural effect will be eliminated. If they are too far apart, then there is a higher chance of the distance between the listener and each speaker being different, and therefore causing one of the speakers to dominate. The exact optimal horizontal placement varies, but studies consistently show that placing the speakers closer together increases the size of the sweet spot.<ref name="reference 1"/><ref name="reference 4"/>

==References==

<references/>

Course:PHYS341/Archive/2016wTerm2/LoudSpeakerSweetSpot

2017-04-04T01:26:53Z

JaneGriffiths:

[[Category:PHYS341-2017|Loud Speaker Sweet Spot]]

<big><big><big>Loudspeaker Sweet Spot</big></big></big>

The loudspeaker sweet spot is the location between two loudspeakers where the sound played through the speakers is heard how it is intended to be heard, as if it were being played by a live acoustic band. Making music be perceived as if it were being played live can be achieved through headphones; left and right headphones can each play a different track that sound together to play audio to mimic the effect of live music. When listening to live, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoustic_music acoustic music], the sound heard by the listener is dependent on the attributes and atmospheric qualities of the area. For example, echoes, reflections and reverberations create a unique sound for the listener. Additionally, depending on the distance between the musicians and the listener, listeners can usually deduce where the sound is coming from. All of these qualities come together to give live music, especially when it’s played in a well-designed and thought-out concert hall, its rich and three-dimensional sound. Sometimes, these qualities are critical to the music, so music is recorded in a way that makes it sound like the listener is at a live performance. The process of recording sounds that are different in each ear to create a 3D effect is called [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binaural_recording binaural recording]. This 3D effect can be nearly perfectly demonstrated through headphones, because different sounds are directed into each ear. However, when music is played over loudspeakers in a large area, it is difficult to maintain this effect because of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstalk crosstalk]. Crosstalk is the issue that the output from both speakers can be heard with both ears, which reduces the binaural effect. <ref name="reference 1">Lacouture Parodi, Y., Rubak, P. (2010). Objective evaluation of the sweet spot size in spatial sound reproduction using elevated loudspeakers. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 128(3), 1045–1055. https://doi.org/10.1121/1.3467763</ref> Two crosstalk minimization – and therefore sweet spot maximization – methods are placing the loudspeakers close together, and placing the loudspeakers at an inclined angle.
{{Help Nav}}
__TOC__

===Horizontal Placement===
[[Image:Position1.png‎|thumbnail|Fig. 1 This diagram represents two speakers that are placed far apart. One can see that if the listener shifts their position, the distance between he or she and each speaker largely changes. He or she will be much closer to one speaker than the other. (Made with small scale)]]
[[Image:Position2.png‎|thumbnail|right|Fig. 2 This diagram represents two speakers that are placed closer together. One can see that if the listener shifts their position, the distance between he or she and each speaker changes less than if the speakers are far apart. The listener will still be able to hear each speaker separately. (Made with small scale)]]

Multiple studies have come to the conclusion that placing speakers closer together increases the size of the sweet spot.<ref name="reference 1"/><ref name="reference 4">Bai, Mingsian R., Lee, Chih-Chung. (2006). Objective and subjective analysis of effects of listening angle on crosstalk cancellation in spatial sound reproduction. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 120(4). http://dx.doi.org/10.1121/1.2257986</ref> If the speakers are closer together, there are less variations of distances between listeners and the speakers.<ref name="reference 1"/> This is demonstrated in figures 1 and 2. If two loudspeakers are placed farther apart, there would be a sweet spot in the middle of the two but as a listener got slightly closer to one speaker, that speaker would dominate. If the loudspeakers are closer together, there is a larger range in which the listener can hear both signals. However, if the speakers are too close together then the binaural effect is eliminated completely and it will sound as if there is only one speaker.

Another feature that contributes to the location of the sweet spot is the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frequency frequency] of the sounds coming from the loudspeakers. High frequency sound waves have short [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wavelength wavelengths] that are directed in the direction the speaker is facing, and spread out minimally. Low frequency sound waves have long wavelengths that spread out in all directions and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffraction diffract] around objects. The long-wavelength, low-frequency sounds reach a larger area and travel further. Considering the difference in frequencies, in situations where a loudspeaker set-up has both [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tweeter tweeters] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subwoofer subwoofers], the angle of the two different speakers can vary.

Overall, the exact optimal horizontal location of two speakers is dependent on a number of factors, including the frequency of the sound coming out of the speakers and the room in which they are being played. The walls of a room can reflect sound, and every room is different. Because of this, the optimal location varies, but placing the speakers at an angle in front of the listener rather than to the side has proven to be the most successful.

===Vertical Placement===
Studies show that the elevation of the speakers has an effect on the size of the sweet spot. With respect to head rotations, when the speakers are at a higher elevation, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstalk crosstalk] is minimized and the sweet spot area is increased. The two physical phenomena that must be considered when optimizing the sweet spot size are interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue.

Interaural amplitude difference occurs when one ear is closer to the sound source than the other. The ear further from the sound source is in a “sound shadow of the head” <ref name="book">White, H., White, D. (2014). Physics and Music: The Science of Musical Sound. Place Published: Publisher. Retrieved from: URL (if available)</ref> and the loudness is altered depending on frequency. In the case of high frequencies, if the wavelength is smaller than the size of the head, the sound is blocked and will be much quieter to the ear on the opposite side of the head. In the case of low frequencies, if the wavelength is longer than the size of the head, the sound can sometimes [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffraction diffract] and become louder to the ear on the opposite side of head.<ref name="slides">Waltham, C. (2017). Lecture 28: Aural Perception [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://wiki.ubc.ca/Course:PHYS341/Lectures/Lecture_30</ref>

Interaural time delay cue is when there is a difference in the time of arrival of the sound at the two ears because one ear is closer to the sound source than the other.<ref name="book"/>

If the listener turns their head when loudspeakers are played, the sound they hear is different than is intended due to these interaural effects. However, if the loudspeakers are placed above the head, when the listener turns their head there is little interaural time delay cue and little interaural amplitude difference. Therefore, optimal performance is obtained when the loudspeakers are placed at a level above the listener's head. <ref name="reference 1"/>

To summarize, the optimal location of loudspeakers to maximize the sweet spot is above head-level and in front of the listener. Vertically, when the speakers are closer to being directly above the listener's head, the effects of interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue are minimized and the size of the loudspeaker sweet spot is increased. If the speakers are placed too close together horizontally, the binaural effect will be eliminated. If they are too far apart, then there is a higher chance of the distance between the listener and each speaker being different, and therefore causing one of the speakers to dominate. The exact optimal horizontal placement varies, but studies consistently show that placing the speakers closer together increases the size of the sweet spot.<ref name="reference 1"/><ref name="reference 4"/>

==References==

<references/>

Course:PHYS341/Archive/2016wTerm2/LoudSpeakerSweetSpot

2017-04-04T01:26:15Z

JaneGriffiths:

[[Category:PHYS341-2017|Loud Speaker Sweet Spot]]

<big><big><big>Loudspeaker Sweet Spot</big></big></big>

The loudspeaker sweet spot is the location between two loudspeakers where the sound played through the speakers is heard how it is intended to be heard, as if it were being played by a live acoustic band. Making music be perceived as if it were being played live can be achieved through headphones; left and right headphones can each play a different track that sound together to play audio to mimic the effect of live music. When listening to live, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoustic_music acoustic music], the sound heard by the listener is dependent on the attributes and atmospheric qualities of the area. For example, echoes, reflections and reverberations create a unique sound for the listener. Additionally, depending on the distance between the musicians and the listener, listeners can usually deduce where the sound is coming from. All of these qualities come together to give live music, especially when it’s played in a well-designed and thought-out concert hall, its rich and three-dimensional sound. Sometimes, these qualities are critical to the music, so music is recorded in a way that makes it sound like the listener is at a live performance. The process of recording sounds that are different in each ear to create a 3D effect is called [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binaural_recording binaural recording]. This 3D effect can be nearly perfectly demonstrated through headphones, because different sounds are directed into each ear. However, when music is played over loudspeakers in a large area, it is difficult to maintain this effect because of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstalk crosstalk]. Crosstalk is the issue that the output from both speakers can be heard with both ears, which reduces the binaural effect. <ref name="reference 1">Lacouture Parodi, Y., Rubak, P. (2010). Objective evaluation of the sweet spot size in spatial sound reproduction using elevated loudspeakers. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 128(3), 1045–1055. https://doi.org/10.1121/1.3467763</ref> Two crosstalk minimization – and therefore sweet spot maximization – methods are placing the loudspeakers close together, and placing the loudspeakers at an inclined angle.
{{Help Nav}}
__TOC__

===Horizontal Placement===
[[Image:Position1.png‎|thumbnail|Fig. 1 This diagram represents two speakers that are placed far apart. One can see that if the listener shifts their position, the distance between he or she and each speaker largely changes. He or she will be much closer to one speaker than the other. (Made with small scale)]]
[[Image:Position2.png‎|right|Fig. 2 This diagram represents two speakers that are placed closer together. One can see that if the listener shifts their position, the distance between he or she and each speaker changes less than if the speakers are far apart. The listener will still be able to hear each speaker separately. (Made with small scale)]]

Multiple studies have come to the conclusion that placing speakers closer together increases the size of the sweet spot.<ref name="reference 1"/><ref name="reference 4">Bai, Mingsian R., Lee, Chih-Chung. (2006). Objective and subjective analysis of effects of listening angle on crosstalk cancellation in spatial sound reproduction. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 120(4). http://dx.doi.org/10.1121/1.2257986</ref> If the speakers are closer together, there are less variations of distances between listeners and the speakers.<ref name="reference 1"/> This is demonstrated in figures 1 and 2. If two loudspeakers are placed farther apart, there would be a sweet spot in the middle of the two but as a listener got slightly closer to one speaker, that speaker would dominate. If the loudspeakers are closer together, there is a larger range in which the listener can hear both signals. However, if the speakers are too close together then the binaural effect is eliminated completely and it will sound as if there is only one speaker.

Another feature that contributes to the location of the sweet spot is the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frequency frequency] of the sounds coming from the loudspeakers. High frequency sound waves have short [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wavelength wavelengths] that are directed in the direction the speaker is facing, and spread out minimally. Low frequency sound waves have long wavelengths that spread out in all directions and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffraction diffract] around objects. The long-wavelength, low-frequency sounds reach a larger area and travel further. Considering the difference in frequencies, in situations where a loudspeaker set-up has both [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tweeter tweeters] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subwoofer subwoofers], the angle of the two different speakers can vary.

Overall, the exact optimal horizontal location of two speakers is dependent on a number of factors, including the frequency of the sound coming out of the speakers and the room in which they are being played. The walls of a room can reflect sound, and every room is different. Because of this, the optimal location varies, but placing the speakers at an angle in front of the listener rather than to the side has proven to be the most successful.

===Vertical Placement===
Studies show that the elevation of the speakers has an effect on the size of the sweet spot. With respect to head rotations, when the speakers are at a higher elevation, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstalk crosstalk] is minimized and the sweet spot area is increased. The two physical phenomena that must be considered when optimizing the sweet spot size are interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue.

Interaural amplitude difference occurs when one ear is closer to the sound source than the other. The ear further from the sound source is in a “sound shadow of the head” <ref name="book">White, H., White, D. (2014). Physics and Music: The Science of Musical Sound. Place Published: Publisher. Retrieved from: URL (if available)</ref> and the loudness is altered depending on frequency. In the case of high frequencies, if the wavelength is smaller than the size of the head, the sound is blocked and will be much quieter to the ear on the opposite side of the head. In the case of low frequencies, if the wavelength is longer than the size of the head, the sound can sometimes [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffraction diffract] and become louder to the ear on the opposite side of head.<ref name="slides">Waltham, C. (2017). Lecture 28: Aural Perception [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://wiki.ubc.ca/Course:PHYS341/Lectures/Lecture_30</ref>

Interaural time delay cue is when there is a difference in the time of arrival of the sound at the two ears because one ear is closer to the sound source than the other.<ref name="book"/>

If the listener turns their head when loudspeakers are played, the sound they hear is different than is intended due to these interaural effects. However, if the loudspeakers are placed above the head, when the listener turns their head there is little interaural time delay cue and little interaural amplitude difference. Therefore, optimal performance is obtained when the loudspeakers are placed at a level above the listener's head. <ref name="reference 1"/>

To summarize, the optimal location of loudspeakers to maximize the sweet spot is above head-level and in front of the listener. Vertically, when the speakers are closer to being directly above the listener's head, the effects of interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue are minimized and the size of the loudspeaker sweet spot is increased. If the speakers are placed too close together horizontally, the binaural effect will be eliminated. If they are too far apart, then there is a higher chance of the distance between the listener and each speaker being different, and therefore causing one of the speakers to dominate. The exact optimal horizontal placement varies, but studies consistently show that placing the speakers closer together increases the size of the sweet spot.<ref name="reference 1"/><ref name="reference 4"/>

==References==

<references/>

Course:PHYS341/Archive/2016wTerm2/LoudSpeakerSweetSpot

2017-04-04T01:24:21Z

JaneGriffiths:

[[Category:PHYS341-2017|Loud Speaker Sweet Spot]]

<big><big><big>Loudspeaker Sweet Spot</big></big></big>

The loudspeaker sweet spot is the location between two loudspeakers where the sound played through the speakers is heard how it is intended to be heard, as if it were being played by a live acoustic band. Making music be perceived as if it were being played live can be achieved through headphones; left and right headphones can each play a different track that sound together to play audio to mimic the effect of live music. When listening to live, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoustic_music acoustic music], the sound heard by the listener is dependent on the attributes and atmospheric qualities of the area. For example, echoes, reflections and reverberations create a unique sound for the listener. Additionally, depending on the distance between the musicians and the listener, listeners can usually deduce where the sound is coming from. All of these qualities come together to give live music, especially when it’s played in a well-designed and thought-out concert hall, its rich and three-dimensional sound. Sometimes, these qualities are critical to the music, so music is recorded in a way that makes it sound like the listener is at a live performance. The process of recording sounds that are different in each ear to create a 3D effect is called [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binaural_recording binaural recording]. This 3D effect can be nearly perfectly demonstrated through headphones, because different sounds are directed into each ear. However, when music is played over loudspeakers in a large area, it is difficult to maintain this effect because of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstalk crosstalk]. Crosstalk is the issue that the output from both speakers can be heard with both ears, which reduces the binaural effect. <ref name="reference 1">Lacouture Parodi, Y., Rubak, P. (2010). Objective evaluation of the sweet spot size in spatial sound reproduction using elevated loudspeakers. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 128(3), 1045–1055. https://doi.org/10.1121/1.3467763</ref> Two crosstalk minimization – and therefore sweet spot maximization – methods are placing the loudspeakers close together, and placing the loudspeakers at an inclined angle.
{{Help Nav}}
__TOC__

===Horizontal Placement===
[[Image:Position1.png‎|right|Caption: This diagram represents two speakers that are placed far apart. One can see that if the listener shifts their position, the distance between he or she and each speaker largely changes. He or she will be much closer to one speaker than the other. (Made with small scale)]]
[[Image:Position2.png‎|right|Caption: This diagram represents two speakers that are placed closer together. One can see that if the listener shifts their position, the distance between he or she and each speaker changes less than if the speakers are far apart. The listener will still be able to hear each speaker separately. (Made with small scale)]]

Multiple studies have come to the conclusion that placing speakers closer together increases the size of the sweet spot.<ref name="reference 1"/><ref name="reference 4">Bai, Mingsian R., Lee, Chih-Chung. (2006). Objective and subjective analysis of effects of listening angle on crosstalk cancellation in spatial sound reproduction. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 120(4). http://dx.doi.org/10.1121/1.2257986</ref> If the speakers are closer together, there are less variations of distances between listeners and the speakers.<ref name="reference 1"/> This is demonstrated in figure 1. If two loudspeakers are placed farther apart, there would be a sweet spot in the middle of the two but as a listener got slightly closer to one speaker, that speaker would dominate. If the loudspeakers are closer together, there is a larger range in which the listener can hear both signals. However, if the speakers are too close together then the binaural effect is eliminated completely and it will sound as if there is only one speaker.

Another feature that contributes to the location of the sweet spot is the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frequency frequency] of the sounds coming from the loudspeakers. High frequency sound waves have short [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wavelength wavelengths] that are directed in the direction the speaker is facing, and spread out minimally. Low frequency sound waves have long wavelengths that spread out in all directions and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffraction diffract] around objects. The long-wavelength, low-frequency sounds reach a larger area and travel further. Considering the difference in frequencies, in situations where a loudspeaker set-up has both [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tweeter tweeters] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subwoofer subwoofers], the angle of the two different speakers can vary.

Overall, the exact optimal horizontal location of two speakers is dependent on a number of factors, including the frequency of the sound coming out of the speakers and the room in which they are being played. The walls of a room can reflect sound, and every room is different. Because of this, the optimal location varies, but placing the speakers at an angle in front of the listener rather than to the side has proven to be the most successful.

===Vertical Placement===
Studies show that the elevation of the speakers has an effect on the size of the sweet spot. With respect to head rotations, when the speakers are at a higher elevation, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstalk crosstalk] is minimized and the sweet spot area is increased. The two physical phenomena that must be considered when optimizing the sweet spot size are interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue.

Interaural amplitude difference occurs when one ear is closer to the sound source than the other. The ear further from the sound source is in a “sound shadow of the head” <ref name="book">White, H., White, D. (2014). Physics and Music: The Science of Musical Sound. Place Published: Publisher. Retrieved from: URL (if available)</ref> and the loudness is altered depending on frequency. In the case of high frequencies, if the wavelength is smaller than the size of the head, the sound is blocked and will be much quieter to the ear on the opposite side of the head. In the case of low frequencies, if the wavelength is longer than the size of the head, the sound can sometimes [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffraction diffract] and become louder to the ear on the opposite side of head.<ref name="slides">Waltham, C. (2017). Lecture 28: Aural Perception [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://wiki.ubc.ca/Course:PHYS341/Lectures/Lecture_30</ref>

Interaural time delay cue is when there is a difference in the time of arrival of the sound at the two ears because one ear is closer to the sound source than the other.<ref name="book"/>

If the listener turns their head when loudspeakers are played, the sound they hear is different than is intended due to these interaural effects. However, if the loudspeakers are placed above the head, when the listener turns their head there is little interaural time delay cue and little interaural amplitude difference. Therefore, optimal performance is obtained when the loudspeakers are placed at a level above the listener's head. <ref name="reference 1"/>

To summarize, the optimal location of loudspeakers to maximize the sweet spot is above head-level and in front of the listener. Vertically, when the speakers are closer to being directly above the listener's head, the effects of interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue are minimized and the size of the loudspeaker sweet spot is increased. If the speakers are placed too close together horizontally, the binaural effect will be eliminated. If they are too far apart, then there is a higher chance of the distance between the listener and each speaker being different, and therefore causing one of the speakers to dominate. The exact optimal horizontal placement varies, but studies consistently show that placing the speakers closer together increases the size of the sweet spot.<ref name="reference 1"/><ref name="reference 4"/>

==References==

<references/>

Course:PHYS341/Archive/2016wTerm2/LoudSpeakerSweetSpot

2017-04-04T01:23:47Z

JaneGriffiths:

[[Category:PHYS341-2017|Loud Speaker Sweet Spot]]

<big><big><big>Loudspeaker Sweet Spot</big></big></big>

The loudspeaker sweet spot is the location between two loudspeakers where the sound played through the speakers is heard how it is intended to be heard, as if it were being played by a live acoustic band. Making music be perceived as if it were being played live can be achieved through headphones; left and right headphones can each play a different track that sound together to play audio to mimic the effect of live music. When listening to live, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoustic_music acoustic music], the sound heard by the listener is dependent on the attributes and atmospheric qualities of the area. For example, echoes, reflections and reverberations create a unique sound for the listener. Additionally, depending on the distance between the musicians and the listener, listeners can usually deduce where the sound is coming from. All of these qualities come together to give live music, especially when it’s played in a well-designed and thought-out concert hall, its rich and three-dimensional sound. Sometimes, these qualities are critical to the music, so music is recorded in a way that makes it sound like the listener is at a live performance. The process of recording sounds that are different in each ear to create a 3D effect is called [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binaural_recording binaural recording]. This 3D effect can be nearly perfectly demonstrated through headphones, because different sounds are directed into each ear. However, when music is played over loudspeakers in a large area, it is difficult to maintain this effect because of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstalk crosstalk]. Crosstalk is the issue that the output from both speakers can be heard with both ears, which reduces the binaural effect. <ref name="reference 1">Lacouture Parodi, Y., Rubak, P. (2010). Objective evaluation of the sweet spot size in spatial sound reproduction using elevated loudspeakers. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 128(3), 1045–1055. https://doi.org/10.1121/1.3467763</ref> Two crosstalk minimization – and therefore sweet spot maximization – methods are placing the loudspeakers close together, and placing the loudspeakers at an inclined angle.
{{Help Nav}}
__TOC__

===Horizontal Placement===
[[Image:Position1.png‎|right|Caption: This diagram represents two speakers that are placed far apart. One can see that if the listener shifts their position, the distance between he or she and each speaker largely changes. He or she will be much closer to one speaker than the other. (Made with small scale)]]
[[Image:Position2.png‎|right|Caption: This diagram represents two speakers that are placed closer together. One can see that if the listener shifts their position, the distance between he or she and each speaker changes less than if the speakers are far apart. The listener will still be able to hear each speaker separately. (Made with small scale)]]

Multiple studies have come to the conclusion that placing speakers closer together increases the size of the sweet spot.<ref name="reference 1"/><ref name="reference 4">Bai, Mingsian R., Lee, Chih-Chung. (2006). Objective and subjective analysis of effects of listening angle on crosstalk cancellation in spatial sound reproduction. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 120(4). http://dx.doi.org/10.1121/1.2257986</ref> If the speakers are closer together, there are less variations of distances between listeners and the speakers.<ref name="reference 1"/> This is demonstrated in figure 1. If two loudspeakers are placed farther apart, there would be a sweet spot in the middle of the two but as a listener got slightly closer to one speaker, that speaker would dominate. If the loudspeakers are closer together, there is a larger range in which the listener can hear both signals. However, if the speakers are too close together then the binaural effect is eliminated completely and it will sound as if there is only one speaker.

Another feature that contributes to the location of the sweet spot is the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frequency frequency] of the sounds coming from the loudspeakers. High frequency sound waves have short [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wavelength wavelengths] that are directed in the direction the speaker is facing, and spread out minimally. Low frequency sound waves have long wavelengths that spread out in all directions and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffraction diffract] around objects. The long-wavelength, low-frequency sounds reach a larger area and travel further. Considering the difference in frequencies, in situations where a loudspeaker set-up has both [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tweeter tweeters] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subwoofer subwoofers], the angle of the two different speakers can vary.

Overall, the exact optimal horizontal location of two speakers is dependent on a number of factors, including the frequency of the sound coming out of the speakers and the room in which they are being played. The walls of a room can reflect sound, and every room is different. Because of this, the optimal location varies, but placing the speakers at an angle in front of the listener rather than to the side has proven to be the most successful.

===Vertical Placement===
Studies show that the elevation of the speakers has an effect on the size of the sweet spot. With respect to head rotations, when the speakers are at a higher elevation, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstalk crosstalk] is minimized and the sweet spot area is increased. The two physical phenomena that must be considered when optimizing the sweet spot size are interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue.

Interaural amplitude difference occurs when one ear is closer to the sound source than the other. The ear further from the sound source is in a “sound shadow of the head” <ref name="book">White, H., White, D. (2014). Physics and Music: The Science of Musical Sound. Place Published: Publisher. Retrieved from: URL (if available)</ref> and the loudness is altered depending on frequency. In the case of high frequencies, if the wavelength is smaller than the size of the head, the sound is blocked and will be much quieter to the ear on the opposite side of the head. In the case of low frequencies, if the wavelength is longer than the size of the head, the sound can sometimes [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffraction diffract] and become louder to the ear on the opposite side of head.<ref name="slides">Waltham, C. (2017). Lecture 28: Aural Perception [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://wiki.ubc.ca/Course:PHYS341/Lectures/Lecture_30</ref>

Interaural time delay cue is when there is a difference in the time of arrival of the sound at the two ears because one ear is closer to the sound source than the other.<ref name="book"/>

If the listener turns their head when loudspeakers are played, the sound they hear is different than is intended due to these interaural effects. However, if the loudspeakers are placed above the head, when the listener turns their head there is little interaural time delay cue and little interaural amplitude difference. Therefore, optimal performance is obtained when the loudspeakers are placed at a level above the listener's head. <ref name="reference 1"/>

To summarize, the optimal location of loudspeakers to maximize the sweet spot is above head-level and in front of the listener. Vertically, when the speakers are closer to being directly above the listener's head, the effects of interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue are minimized and the size of the loudspeaker sweet spot is increased. If the speakers are placed too close together horizontally, the binaural effect will be eliminated. If they are too far apart, then there is a higher chance of the distance between the listener and each speaker being different, and therefore causing one of the speakers to dominate. The exact optimal horizontal placement varies, but studies consistently show that placing the speakers closer together increases the size of the sweet spot.<ref name="reference 1"/><ref name="reference 4"/>

==References==

<references/>

Course:PHYS341/Archive/2016wTerm2/LoudSpeakerSweetSpot

2017-04-04T01:13:27Z

JaneGriffiths:

[[Category:PHYS341-2017|Loud Speaker Sweet Spot]]

<big><big><big>Loudspeaker Sweet Spot</big></big></big>

The loudspeaker sweet spot is the location between two loudspeakers where the sound played through the speakers is heard how it is intended to be heard, as if it were being played by a live acoustic band. Making music be perceived as if it were being played live can be achieved through headphones; left and right headphones can each play a different track that sound together to play audio to mimic the effect of live music. When listening to live, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoustic_music acoustic music], the sound heard by the listener is dependent on the attributes and atmospheric qualities of the area. For example, echoes, reflections and reverberations create a unique sound for the listener. Additionally, depending on the distance between the musicians and the listener, listeners can usually deduce where the sound is coming from. All of these qualities come together to give live music, especially when it’s played in a well-designed and thought-out concert hall, its rich and three-dimensional sound. Sometimes, these qualities are critical to the music, so music is recorded in a way that makes it sound like the listener is at a live performance. The process of recording sounds that are different in each ear to create a 3D effect is called [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binaural_recording binaural recording]. This 3D effect can be nearly perfectly demonstrated through headphones, because different sounds are directed into each ear. However, when music is played over loudspeakers in a large area, it is difficult to maintain this effect because of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstalk crosstalk]. Crosstalk is the issue that the output from both speakers can be heard with both ears, which reduces the binaural effect. <ref name="reference 1">Lacouture Parodi, Y., Rubak, P. (2010). Objective evaluation of the sweet spot size in spatial sound reproduction using elevated loudspeakers. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 128(3), 1045–1055. https://doi.org/10.1121/1.3467763</ref> Two crosstalk minimization – and therefore sweet spot maximization – methods are placing the loudspeakers close together, and placing the loudspeakers at an inclined angle.
{{Help Nav}}
__TOC__

===Horizontal Placement===
[[Image:Position1.png‎|right|Caption: This diagram represents two speakers that are placed far apart. One can see that if the listener shifts their position, the distance between he or she and each speaker largely changes. He or she will be much closer to one speaker than the other. (Made with small scale)]]
[[Image:Position2.png‎|right|Caption: This diagram represents two speakers that are placed closer together. One can see that if the listener shifts their position, the distance between he or she and each speaker changes less than if the speakers are far apart. The listener will still be able to hear each speaker separately. (Made with small scale)]]
Multiple studies have come to the conclusion that placing speakers closer together increases the size of the sweet spot.<ref name="reference 1"/><ref name="reference 4">Bai, Mingsian R., Lee, Chih-Chung. (2006). Objective and subjective analysis of effects of listening angle on crosstalk cancellation in spatial sound reproduction. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 120(4). http://dx.doi.org/10.1121/1.2257986</ref> If the speakers are closer together, there are less variations of distances between listeners and the speakers.<ref name="reference 1"/> This is demonstrated in figure 1. If two loudspeakers are placed farther apart, there would be a sweet spot in the middle of the two but as a listener got slightly closer to one speaker, that speaker would dominate. If the loudspeakers are closer together, there is a larger range in which the listener can hear both signals. However, if the speakers are too close together then the binaural effect is eliminated completely and it will sound as if there is only one speaker.

Another feature that contributes to the location of the sweet spot is the frequency of the sounds coming from the loudspeakers. High frequency sound waves have short wavelengths that are directed in the direction the speaker is facing, and spread out minimally. Low frequency sound waves have long wavelengths that spread out in all directions and diffract around objects. The long-wavelength, low-frequency sounds reach a larger area and travel further. Considering the difference in frequencies, in situations where a loudspeaker set-up has both tweeters and subwoofers, the angle of the two different speakers can vary.

Overall, the exact optimal horizontal location of two speakers is dependent on a number of factors, including the frequency of the sound coming out of the speakers and the room in which they are being played. The walls of a room can reflect sound, and every room is different. Because of this, the optimal location varies, but placing the speakers in front of the listener rather than to the side has proven to be the most successful.

===Vertical Placement===
Studies show that the elevation of the speakers has an effect on the size of the sweet spot. With respect to head rotations, when the speakers are at a higher elevation, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstalk crosstalk] is minimized and the sweet spot area is increased. The two physical phenomena that must be considered when optimizing the sweet spot size are interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue.

Interaural amplitude difference occurs when one ear is closer to the sound source than the other. The ear further from the sound source is in a “sound shadow of the head” <ref name="book">White, H., White, D. (2014). Physics and Music: The Science of Musical Sound. Place Published: Publisher. Retrieved from: URL (if available)</ref> and the loudness is altered depending on frequency. In the case of high frequencies, if the wavelength is smaller than the size of the head, the sound is blocked and will be much quieter to the ear on the opposite side of the head. In the case of low frequencies, if the wavelength is longer than the size of the head, the sound can sometimes [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffraction diffract] (bend) and become louder to the ear on the opposite side of head.<ref name="slides">Waltham, C. (2017). Lecture 28: Aural Perception [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://wiki.ubc.ca/Course:PHYS341/Lectures/Lecture_30</ref>

Interaural time delay cue is when there is a difference in the time of arrival of the sound at the two ears because one ear is closer to the sound source than the other.<ref name="book"/>

If the listener turns their head when loudspeakers are played, the sound they hear is different than is intended due to these interaural effects. However, if the loudspeakers are placed above the head, when the listener turns their head there is little interaural time delay cue and little interaural amplitude difference. Therefore, optimal performance is obtained when the loudspeakers are placed at a level above the listener's head. <ref name="reference 1"/>

To summarize, the optimal location of loudspeakers to maximize the sweet spot is above head-level and in front of the listener. Vertically, when the speakers are closer to being directly above the listener's head, the effects of interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue are minimized and the size of the loudspeaker sweet spot is increased. If the speakers are placed too close together horizontally, the binaural effect will be eliminated. If they are too far apart, then there is a higher chance of the distance between the listener and each speaker being different, and therefore causing one of the speakers to dominate. The exact optimal horizontal placement varies, but studies consistently show that placing the speakers closer together increases the size of the sweet spot.

==References==

<references/>

Course:PHYS341/Archive/2016wTerm2/LoudSpeakerSweetSpot

2017-04-03T18:48:25Z

JaneGriffiths:

[[Category:PHYS341-2017|Loud Speaker Sweet Spot]]

<big><big><big>Loudspeaker Sweet Spot</big></big></big>

The loudspeaker sweet spot is the location between two loudspeakers where the sound played through the speakers is heard how it is intended to be heard, as if it were being played by a live acoustic band. Making music be perceived as if it were being played live can be achieved through headphones; left and right headphones can each play a different track that sound together to play audio to mimic the effect of live music. When listening to live, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoustic_music acoustic music], the sound heard by the listener is dependent on the attributes and atmospheric qualities of the area. For example, echoes, reflections and reverberations create a unique sound for the listener. Additionally, depending on the distance between the musicians and the listener, listeners can usually deduce where the sound is coming from. All of these qualities come together to give live music, especially when it’s played in a well-designed and thought-out concert hall, its rich and three-dimensional sound. Sometimes, these qualities are critical to the music, so music is recorded in a way that makes it sound like the listener is at a live performance. The process of recording sounds that are different in each ear to create a 3D effect is called [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binaural_recording binaural recording]. This 3D effect can be nearly perfectly demonstrated through headphones, because different sounds are directed into each ear. However, when music is played over loudspeakers in a large area, it is difficult to maintain this effect because of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstalk crosstalk]. Crosstalk is the issue that the output from both speakers can be heard with both ears, which reduces the binaural effect. <ref name="reference 1">Lacouture Parodi, Y., Rubak, P. (2010). Objective evaluation of the sweet spot size in spatial sound reproduction using elevated loudspeakers. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 128(3), 1045–1055. https://doi.org/10.1121/1.3467763</ref> Two crosstalk minimization – and therefore sweet spot maximization – methods are placing the loudspeakers close together, and placing the loudspeakers at an inclined angle.
{{Help Nav}}
__TOC__

===Horizontal Placement===
[[Image:Position1.png‎|right|Caption: This diagram represents two speakers that are placed far apart. One can see that if the listener shifts their position, the distance between he or she and each speaker largely changes. He or she will be much closer to one speaker than the other. (Made with small scale)]]
[[Image:Position2.png‎|right|Caption: This diagram represents two speakers that are placed closer together. One can see that if the listener shifts their position, the distance between he or she and each speaker changes less than if the speakers are far apart. The listener will still be able to hear each speaker separately. (Made with small scale)]]
Multiple studies have come to the conclusion that placing speakers closer together increases the size of the sweet spot. If the speakers are closer together, there are less variations of distances between listeners and the speakers.<ref name="reference 1"/> This is demonstrated in figure 1. If two loudspeakers are placed farther apart, there would be a sweet spot in the middle of the two but as a listener got slightly closer to one speaker, that speaker would dominate. If the loudspeakers are closer together, there is a larger range in which the listener can hear both signals. However, if the speakers are too close together then the binaural effect is eliminated completely and it will sound as if there is only one speaker.

Another feature that contributes to the location of the sweet spot is the frequency of the sounds coming from the loudspeakers. High frequency sound waves have short wavelengths that are directed in the direction the speaker is facing, and spread out minimally. Low frequency sound waves have long wavelengths that spread out in all directions and diffract around objects. The long-wavelength, low-frequency sounds reach a larger area and travel further. Considering the difference in frequencies, in situations where a loudspeaker set-up has both tweeters and subwoofers, the angle of the two different speakers can vary.

Overall, the exact optimal horizontal location of two speakers is dependent on a number of factors, including the frequency of the sound coming out of the speakers and the room in which they are being played. The walls of a room can reflect sound, and every room is different. Because of this, the optimal location varies, but placing the speakers in front of the listener rather than to the side has proven to be the most successful.

===Vertical Placement===
Studies show that the elevation of the speakers has an effect on the size of the sweet spot. With respect to head rotations, when the speakers are at a higher elevation, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstalk crosstalk] is minimized and the sweet spot area is increased. The two physical phenomena that must be considered when optimizing the sweet spot size are interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue.

Interaural amplitude difference occurs when one ear is closer to the sound source than the other. The ear further from the sound source is in a “sound shadow of the head” <ref name="book">White, H., White, D. (2014). Physics and Music: The Science of Musical Sound. Place Published: Publisher. Retrieved from: URL (if available)</ref> and the loudness is altered depending on frequency. In the case of high frequencies, if the wavelength is smaller than the size of the head, the sound is blocked and will be much quieter to the ear on the opposite side of the head. In the case of low frequencies, if the wavelength is longer than the size of the head, the sound can sometimes [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffraction diffract] (bend) and become louder to the ear on the opposite side of head.<ref name="slides">Waltham, C. (2017). Lecture 28: Aural Perception [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://wiki.ubc.ca/Course:PHYS341/Lectures/Lecture_30</ref>

Interaural time delay cue is when there is a difference in the time of arrival of the sound at the two ears because one ear is closer to the sound source than the other.<ref name="book"/>

If the listener turns their head when loudspeakers are played, the sound they hear is different than is intended due to these interaural effects. However, if the loudspeakers are placed above the head, when the listener turns their head there is little interaural time delay cue and little interaural amplitude difference. Therefore, optimal performance is obtained when the loudspeakers are placed at a level above the listener's head. <ref name="reference 1"/>

To summarize, the optimal location of loudspeakers to maximize the sweet spot is above head-level and in front of the listener. Vertically, when the speakers are closer to being directly above the listener's head, the effects of interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue are minimized and the size of the loudspeaker sweet spot is increased. If the speakers are placed too close together horizontally, the binaural effect will be eliminated. If they are too far apart, then there is a higher chance of the distance between the listener and each speaker being different, and therefore causing one of the speakers to dominate. The exact optimal horizontal placement varies, but studies consistently show that placing the speakers closer together increases the size of the sweet spot.

==References==

<references/>

Course:PHYS341/Archive/2016wTerm2/LoudSpeakerSweetSpot

2017-04-03T18:44:55Z

JaneGriffiths:

[[Category:PHYS341-2017|Loud Speaker Sweet Spot]]

<big><big><big>Loudspeaker Sweet Spot</big></big></big>

The loudspeaker sweet spot is the location between two loudspeakers where the sound played through the speakers is heard how it is intended to be heard, as if it were being played by a live acoustic band. Making music be perceived as if it were being played live can be achieved through headphones; left and right headphones can each play a different track that sound together to play audio to mimic the effect of live music. When listening to live, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoustic_music acoustic music], the sound heard by the listener is dependent on the attributes and atmospheric qualities of the area. For example, echoes, reflections and reverberations create a unique sound for the listener. Additionally, depending on the distance between the musicians and the listener, listeners can usually deduce where the sound is coming from. All of these qualities come together to give live music, especially when it’s played in a well-designed and thought-out concert hall, its rich and three-dimensional sound. Sometimes, these qualities are critical to the music, so music is recorded in a way that makes it sound like the listener is at a live performance. The process of recording sounds that are different in each ear to create a 3D effect is called [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binaural_recording binaural recording]. This 3D effect can be nearly perfectly demonstrated through headphones, because different sounds are directed into each ear. However, when music is played over loudspeakers in a large area, it is difficult to maintain this effect because of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstalk crosstalk]. Crosstalk is the issue that the output from both speakers can be heard with both ears, which reduces the binaural effect. <ref name="reference 1">Lacouture Parodi, Y., Rubak, P. (2010). Objective evaluation of the sweet spot size in spatial sound reproduction using elevated loudspeakers. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 128(3), 1045–1055. https://doi.org/10.1121/1.3467763</ref> Two crosstalk minimization – and therefore sweet spot maximization – methods are placing the loudspeakers close together, and placing the loudspeakers at an inclined angle.
{{Help Nav}}
__TOC__

===Horizontal Placement===
[[Image:Position1.png‎|right|This diagram represents two speakers that are placed far apart. One can see that if the listener shifts their position, the distance between he or she and each speaker largely changes. He or she will be much closer to one speaker than the other. (Made with small scale)]]
[[Image:Position2.png‎|right|This diagram represents two speakers that are placed closer together. One can see that if the listener shifts their position, the distance between he or she and each speaker changes less than if the speakers are far apart. The listener will still be able to hear each speaker separately. (Made with small scale)]]
Multiple studies have come to the conclusion that placing speakers closer together increases the size of the sweet spot. If the speakers are closer together, there are less variations of distances between listeners and the speakers.<ref name="reference 1"/> This is demonstrated in figure 1. If two loudspeakers are placed farther apart, there would be a sweet spot in the middle of the two but as a listener got slightly closer to one speaker, that speaker would dominate. If the loudspeakers are closer together, there is a larger range in which the listener can hear both signals. However, if the speakers are too close together then the binaural effect is eliminated completely and it will sound as if there is only one speaker.

Another feature that contributes to the location of the sweet spot is the frequency of the sounds coming from the loudspeakers. High frequency sound waves have short wavelengths that are directed in the direction the speaker is facing, and spread out minimally. Low frequency sound waves have long wavelengths that spread out in all directions and diffract around objects. The long-wavelength, low-frequency sounds reach a larger area and travel further. Considering the difference in frequencies, in situations where a loudspeaker set-up has both tweeters and subwoofers, the angle of the two different speakers can vary.

Overall, the exact optimal horizontal location of two speakers is dependent on a number of factors, including the frequency of the sound coming out of the speakers and the room in which they are being played. The walls of a room can reflect sound, and every room is different. Because of this, the optimal location varies, but placing the speakers in front of the listener rather than to the side has proven to be the most successful.

===Vertical Placement===
Studies show that the elevation of the speakers has an effect on the size of the sweet spot. With respect to head rotations, when the speakers are at a higher elevation, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstalk crosstalk] is minimized and the sweet spot area is increased. The two physical phenomena that must be considered when optimizing the sweet spot size are interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue.

Interaural amplitude difference occurs when one ear is closer to the sound source than the other. The ear further from the sound source is in a “sound shadow of the head” <ref name="book">White, H., White, D. (2014). Physics and Music: The Science of Musical Sound. Place Published: Publisher. Retrieved from: URL (if available)</ref> and the loudness is altered depending on frequency. In the case of high frequencies, if the wavelength is smaller than the size of the head, the sound is blocked and will be much quieter to the ear on the opposite side of the head. In the case of low frequencies, if the wavelength is longer than the size of the head, the sound can sometimes [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffraction diffract] (bend) and become louder to the ear on the opposite side of head.<ref name="slides">Waltham, C. (2017). Lecture 28: Aural Perception [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://wiki.ubc.ca/Course:PHYS341/Lectures/Lecture_30</ref>

Interaural time delay cue is when there is a difference in the time of arrival of the sound at the two ears because one ear is closer to the sound source than the other.<ref name="book"/>

If the listener turns their head when loudspeakers are played, the sound they hear is different than is intended due to these interaural effects. However, if the loudspeakers are placed above the head, when the listener turns their head there is little interaural time delay cue and little interaural amplitude difference. Therefore, optimal performance is obtained when the loudspeakers are placed at a level above the listener's head. <ref name="reference 1"/>

To summarize, the optimal location of loudspeakers to maximize the sweet spot is above head-level and in front of the listener. Vertically, when the speakers are closer to being directly above the listener's head, the effects of interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue are minimized and the size of the loudspeaker sweet spot is increased. If the speakers are placed too close together horizontally, the binaural effect will be eliminated. If they are too far apart, then there is a higher chance of the distance between the listener and each speaker being different, and therefore causing one of the speakers to dominate. The exact optimal horizontal placement varies, but studies consistently show that placing the speakers closer together increases the size of the sweet spot.

==References==

<references/>

Course:PHYS341/Archive/2016wTerm2/LoudSpeakerSweetSpot

2017-04-03T18:44:09Z

JaneGriffiths:

[[Category:PHYS341-2017|Loud Speaker Sweet Spot]]

<big><big><big>Loudspeaker Sweet Spot</big></big></big>

[[Image:Position1.png‎|right|This diagram represents two speakers that are placed far apart. One can see that if the listener shifts their position, the distance between he or she and each speaker largely changes. He or she will be much closer to one speaker than the other. (Made with small scale)]]
[[Image:Position2.png‎|right|This diagram represents two speakers that are placed closer together. One can see that if the listener shifts their position, the distance between he or she and each speaker changes less than if the speakers are far apart. The listener will still be able to hear each speaker separately. (Made with small scale)]]

The loudspeaker sweet spot is the location between two loudspeakers where the sound played through the speakers is heard how it is intended to be heard, as if it were being played by a live acoustic band. Making music be perceived as if it were being played live can be achieved through headphones; left and right headphones can each play a different track that sound together to play audio to mimic the effect of live music. When listening to live, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoustic_music acoustic music], the sound heard by the listener is dependent on the attributes and atmospheric qualities of the area. For example, echoes, reflections and reverberations create a unique sound for the listener. Additionally, depending on the distance between the musicians and the listener, listeners can usually deduce where the sound is coming from. All of these qualities come together to give live music, especially when it’s played in a well-designed and thought-out concert hall, its rich and three-dimensional sound. Sometimes, these qualities are critical to the music, so music is recorded in a way that makes it sound like the listener is at a live performance. The process of recording sounds that are different in each ear to create a 3D effect is called [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binaural_recording binaural recording]. This 3D effect can be nearly perfectly demonstrated through headphones, because different sounds are directed into each ear. However, when music is played over loudspeakers in a large area, it is difficult to maintain this effect because of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstalk crosstalk]. Crosstalk is the issue that the output from both speakers can be heard with both ears, which reduces the binaural effect. <ref name="reference 1">Lacouture Parodi, Y., Rubak, P. (2010). Objective evaluation of the sweet spot size in spatial sound reproduction using elevated loudspeakers. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 128(3), 1045–1055. https://doi.org/10.1121/1.3467763</ref> Two crosstalk minimization – and therefore sweet spot maximization – methods are placing the loudspeakers close together, and placing the loudspeakers at an inclined angle.
{{Help Nav}}
__TOC__

===Horizontal Placement===
Multiple studies have come to the conclusion that placing speakers closer together increases the size of the sweet spot. If the speakers are closer together, there are less variations of distances between listeners and the speakers.<ref name="reference 1"/> This is demonstrated in figure 1. If two loudspeakers are placed farther apart, there would be a sweet spot in the middle of the two but as a listener got slightly closer to one speaker, that speaker would dominate. If the loudspeakers are closer together, there is a larger range in which the listener can hear both signals. However, if the speakers are too close together then the binaural effect is eliminated completely and it will sound as if there is only one speaker.

Another feature that contributes to the location of the sweet spot is the frequency of the sounds coming from the loudspeakers. High frequency sound waves have short wavelengths that are directed in the direction the speaker is facing, and spread out minimally. Low frequency sound waves have long wavelengths that spread out in all directions and diffract around objects. The long-wavelength, low-frequency sounds reach a larger area and travel further. Considering the difference in frequencies, in situations where a loudspeaker set-up has both tweeters and subwoofers, the angle of the two different speakers can vary.

Overall, the exact optimal horizontal location of two speakers is dependent on a number of factors, including the frequency of the sound coming out of the speakers and the room in which they are being played. The walls of a room can reflect sound, and every room is different. Because of this, the optimal location varies, but placing the speakers in front of the listener rather than to the side has proven to be the most successful.

===Vertical Placement===
Studies show that the elevation of the speakers has an effect on the size of the sweet spot. With respect to head rotations, when the speakers are at a higher elevation, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstalk crosstalk] is minimized and the sweet spot area is increased. The two physical phenomena that must be considered when optimizing the sweet spot size are interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue.

Interaural amplitude difference occurs when one ear is closer to the sound source than the other. The ear further from the sound source is in a “sound shadow of the head” <ref name="book">White, H., White, D. (2014). Physics and Music: The Science of Musical Sound. Place Published: Publisher. Retrieved from: URL (if available)</ref> and the loudness is altered depending on frequency. In the case of high frequencies, if the wavelength is smaller than the size of the head, the sound is blocked and will be much quieter to the ear on the opposite side of the head. In the case of low frequencies, if the wavelength is longer than the size of the head, the sound can sometimes [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffraction diffract] (bend) and become louder to the ear on the opposite side of head.<ref name="slides">Waltham, C. (2017). Lecture 28: Aural Perception [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://wiki.ubc.ca/Course:PHYS341/Lectures/Lecture_30</ref>

Interaural time delay cue is when there is a difference in the time of arrival of the sound at the two ears because one ear is closer to the sound source than the other.<ref name="book"/>

If the listener turns their head when loudspeakers are played, the sound they hear is different than is intended due to these interaural effects. However, if the loudspeakers are placed above the head, when the listener turns their head there is little interaural time delay cue and little interaural amplitude difference. Therefore, optimal performance is obtained when the loudspeakers are placed at a level above the listener's head. <ref name="reference 1"/>

To summarize, the optimal location of loudspeakers to maximize the sweet spot is above head-level and in front of the listener. Vertically, when the speakers are closer to being directly above the listener's head, the effects of interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue are minimized and the size of the loudspeaker sweet spot is increased. If the speakers are placed too close together horizontally, the binaural effect will be eliminated. If they are too far apart, then there is a higher chance of the distance between the listener and each speaker being different, and therefore causing one of the speakers to dominate. The exact optimal horizontal placement varies, but studies consistently show that placing the speakers closer together increases the size of the sweet spot.

==References==

<references/>

Course:PHYS341/Archive/2016wTerm2/LoudSpeakerSweetSpot

2017-04-03T18:43:24Z

JaneGriffiths:

[[Category:PHYS341-2017|Loud Speaker Sweet Spot]]

<big><big><big>Loudspeaker Sweet Spot</big></big></big>

The loudspeaker sweet spot is the location between two loudspeakers where the sound played through the speakers is heard how it is intended to be heard, as if it were being played by a live acoustic band. Making music be perceived as if it were being played live can be achieved through headphones; left and right headphones can each play a different track that sound together to play audio to mimic the effect of live music. When listening to live, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoustic_music acoustic music], the sound heard by the listener is dependent on the attributes and atmospheric qualities of the area. For example, echoes, reflections and reverberations create a unique sound for the listener. Additionally, depending on the distance between the musicians and the listener, listeners can usually deduce where the sound is coming from. All of these qualities come together to give live music, especially when it’s played in a well-designed and thought-out concert hall, its rich and three-dimensional sound. Sometimes, these qualities are critical to the music, so music is recorded in a way that makes it sound like the listener is at a live performance. The process of recording sounds that are different in each ear to create a 3D effect is called [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binaural_recording binaural recording]. This 3D effect can be nearly perfectly demonstrated through headphones, because different sounds are directed into each ear. However, when music is played over loudspeakers in a large area, it is difficult to maintain this effect because of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstalk crosstalk]. Crosstalk is the issue that the output from both speakers can be heard with both ears, which reduces the binaural effect. <ref name="reference 1">Lacouture Parodi, Y., Rubak, P. (2010). Objective evaluation of the sweet spot size in spatial sound reproduction using elevated loudspeakers. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 128(3), 1045–1055. https://doi.org/10.1121/1.3467763</ref> Two crosstalk minimization – and therefore sweet spot maximization – methods are placing the loudspeakers close together, and placing the loudspeakers at an inclined angle.

[[Image:Position1.png‎|right|This diagram represents two speakers that are placed far apart. One can see that if the listener shifts their position, the distance between he or she and each speaker largely changes. He or she will be much closer to one speaker than the other. (Made with small scale)]]
[[Image:Position2.png‎|right|This diagram represents two speakers that are placed closer together. One can see that if the listener shifts their position, the distance between he or she and each speaker changes less than if the speakers are far apart. The listener will still be able to hear each speaker separately. (Made with small scale)]]

{{Help Nav}}
__TOC__

===Horizontal Placement===
Multiple studies have come to the conclusion that placing speakers closer together increases the size of the sweet spot. If the speakers are closer together, there are less variations of distances between listeners and the speakers.<ref name="reference 1"/> This is demonstrated in figure 1. If two loudspeakers are placed farther apart, there would be a sweet spot in the middle of the two but as a listener got slightly closer to one speaker, that speaker would dominate. If the loudspeakers are closer together, there is a larger range in which the listener can hear both signals. However, if the speakers are too close together then the binaural effect is eliminated completely and it will sound as if there is only one speaker.

Another feature that contributes to the location of the sweet spot is the frequency of the sounds coming from the loudspeakers. High frequency sound waves have short wavelengths that are directed in the direction the speaker is facing, and spread out minimally. Low frequency sound waves have long wavelengths that spread out in all directions and diffract around objects. The long-wavelength, low-frequency sounds reach a larger area and travel further. Considering the difference in frequencies, in situations where a loudspeaker set-up has both tweeters and subwoofers, the angle of the two different speakers can vary.

Overall, the exact optimal horizontal location of two speakers is dependent on a number of factors, including the frequency of the sound coming out of the speakers and the room in which they are being played. The walls of a room can reflect sound, and every room is different. Because of this, the optimal location varies, but placing the speakers in front of the listener rather than to the side has proven to be the most successful.

===Vertical Placement===
Studies show that the elevation of the speakers has an effect on the size of the sweet spot. With respect to head rotations, when the speakers are at a higher elevation, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstalk crosstalk] is minimized and the sweet spot area is increased. The two physical phenomena that must be considered when optimizing the sweet spot size are interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue.

Interaural amplitude difference occurs when one ear is closer to the sound source than the other. The ear further from the sound source is in a “sound shadow of the head” <ref name="book">White, H., White, D. (2014). Physics and Music: The Science of Musical Sound. Place Published: Publisher. Retrieved from: URL (if available)</ref> and the loudness is altered depending on frequency. In the case of high frequencies, if the wavelength is smaller than the size of the head, the sound is blocked and will be much quieter to the ear on the opposite side of the head. In the case of low frequencies, if the wavelength is longer than the size of the head, the sound can sometimes [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffraction diffract] (bend) and become louder to the ear on the opposite side of head.<ref name="slides">Waltham, C. (2017). Lecture 28: Aural Perception [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://wiki.ubc.ca/Course:PHYS341/Lectures/Lecture_30</ref>

Interaural time delay cue is when there is a difference in the time of arrival of the sound at the two ears because one ear is closer to the sound source than the other.<ref name="book"/>

If the listener turns their head when loudspeakers are played, the sound they hear is different than is intended due to these interaural effects. However, if the loudspeakers are placed above the head, when the listener turns their head there is little interaural time delay cue and little interaural amplitude difference. Therefore, optimal performance is obtained when the loudspeakers are placed at a level above the listener's head. <ref name="reference 1"/>

To summarize, the optimal location of loudspeakers to maximize the sweet spot is above head-level and in front of the listener. Vertically, when the speakers are closer to being directly above the listener's head, the effects of interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue are minimized and the size of the loudspeaker sweet spot is increased. If the speakers are placed too close together horizontally, the binaural effect will be eliminated. If they are too far apart, then there is a higher chance of the distance between the listener and each speaker being different, and therefore causing one of the speakers to dominate. The exact optimal horizontal placement varies, but studies consistently show that placing the speakers closer together increases the size of the sweet spot.

==References==

<references/>

Course:PHYS341/Archive/2016wTerm2/LoudSpeakerSweetSpot

2017-04-03T18:40:46Z

JaneGriffiths:

[[Category:PHYS341-2017|Loud Speaker Sweet Spot]]

<big><big><big>Loudspeaker Sweet Spot</big></big></big>

The loudspeaker sweet spot is the location between two loudspeakers where the sound played through the speakers is heard how it is intended to be heard, as if it were being played by a live acoustic band. Making music be perceived as if it were being played live can be achieved through headphones; left and right headphones can each play a different track that sound together to play audio to mimic the effect of live music. When listening to live, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoustic_music acoustic music], the sound heard by the listener is dependent on the attributes and atmospheric qualities of the area. For example, echoes, reflections and reverberations create a unique sound for the listener. Additionally, depending on the distance between the musicians and the listener, listeners can usually deduce where the sound is coming from. All of these qualities come together to give live music, especially when it’s played in a well-designed and thought-out concert hall, its rich and three-dimensional sound. Sometimes, these qualities are critical to the music, so music is recorded in a way that makes it sound like the listener is at a live performance. The process of recording sounds that are different in each ear to create a 3D effect is called [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binaural_recording binaural recording]. This 3D effect can be nearly perfectly demonstrated through headphones, because different sounds are directed into each ear. However, when music is played over loudspeakers in a large area, it is difficult to maintain this effect because of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstalk crosstalk]. Crosstalk is the issue that the output from both speakers can be heard with both ears, which reduces the binaural effect. <ref name="reference 1">Lacouture Parodi, Y., Rubak, P. (2010). Objective evaluation of the sweet spot size in spatial sound reproduction using elevated loudspeakers. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 128(3), 1045–1055. https://doi.org/10.1121/1.3467763</ref> Two crosstalk minimization – and therefore sweet spot maximization – methods are placing the loudspeakers close together, and placing the loudspeakers at an inclined angle.

[[Image:Position1.png‎]]
[[Image:Position2.png‎]]

{{Help Nav}}
__TOC__

===Horizontal Placement===
Multiple studies have come to the conclusion that placing speakers closer together increases the size of the sweet spot. If the speakers are closer together, there are less variations of distances between listeners and the speakers.<ref name="reference 1"/> This is demonstrated in figure 1. If two loudspeakers are placed farther apart, there would be a sweet spot in the middle of the two but as a listener got slightly closer to one speaker, that speaker would dominate. If the loudspeakers are closer together, there is a larger range in which the listener can hear both signals. However, if the speakers are too close together then the binaural effect is eliminated completely and it will sound as if there is only one speaker.

Another feature that contributes to the location of the sweet spot is the frequency of the sounds coming from the loudspeakers. High frequency sound waves have short wavelengths that are directed in the direction the speaker is facing, and spread out minimally. Low frequency sound waves have long wavelengths that spread out in all directions and diffract around objects. The long-wavelength, low-frequency sounds reach a larger area and travel further. Considering the difference in frequencies, in situations where a loudspeaker set-up has both tweeters and subwoofers, the angle of the two different speakers can vary.

Overall, the exact optimal horizontal location of two speakers is dependent on a number of factors, including the frequency of the sound coming out of the speakers and the room in which they are being played. The walls of a room can reflect sound, and every room is different. Because of this, the optimal location varies, but placing the speakers in front of the listener rather than to the side has proven to be the most successful.

===Vertical Placement===
Studies show that the elevation of the speakers has an effect on the size of the sweet spot. With respect to head rotations, when the speakers are at a higher elevation, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstalk crosstalk] is minimized and the sweet spot area is increased. The two physical phenomena that must be considered when optimizing the sweet spot size are interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue.

Interaural amplitude difference occurs when one ear is closer to the sound source than the other. The ear further from the sound source is in a “sound shadow of the head” <ref name="book">White, H., White, D. (2014). Physics and Music: The Science of Musical Sound. Place Published: Publisher. Retrieved from: URL (if available)</ref> and the loudness is altered depending on frequency. In the case of high frequencies, if the wavelength is smaller than the size of the head, the sound is blocked and will be much quieter to the ear on the opposite side of the head. In the case of low frequencies, if the wavelength is longer than the size of the head, the sound can sometimes [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffraction diffract] (bend) and become louder to the ear on the opposite side of head.<ref name="slides">Waltham, C. (2017). Lecture 28: Aural Perception [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://wiki.ubc.ca/Course:PHYS341/Lectures/Lecture_30</ref>

Interaural time delay cue is when there is a difference in the time of arrival of the sound at the two ears because one ear is closer to the sound source than the other.<ref name="book"/>

If the listener turns their head when loudspeakers are played, the sound they hear is different than is intended due to these interaural effects. However, if the loudspeakers are placed above the head, when the listener turns their head there is little interaural time delay cue and little interaural amplitude difference. Therefore, optimal performance is obtained when the loudspeakers are placed at a level above the listener's head. <ref name="reference 1"/>

To summarize, the optimal location of loudspeakers to maximize the sweet spot is above head-level and in front of the listener. Vertically, when the speakers are closer to being directly above the listener's head, the effects of interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue are minimized and the size of the loudspeaker sweet spot is increased. If the speakers are placed too close together horizontally, the binaural effect will be eliminated. If they are too far apart, then there is a higher chance of the distance between the listener and each speaker being different, and therefore causing one of the speakers to dominate. The exact optimal horizontal placement varies, but studies consistently show that placing the speakers closer together increases the size of the sweet spot.

==References==

<references/>

Course:PHYS341/Archive/2016wTerm2/LoudSpeakerSweetSpot

2017-04-03T18:37:07Z

JaneGriffiths:

[[Category:PHYS341-2017|Loud Speaker Sweet Spot]]

<big><big><big>Loudspeaker Sweet Spot</big></big></big>

The loudspeaker sweet spot is the location between two loudspeakers where the sound played through the speakers is heard how it is intended to be heard, as if it were being played by a live acoustic band. Making music be perceived as if it were being played live can be achieved through headphones; left and right headphones can each play a different track that sound together to play audio to mimic the effect of live music. When listening to live, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoustic_music acoustic music], the sound heard by the listener is dependent on the attributes and atmospheric qualities of the area. For example, echoes, reflections and reverberations create a unique sound for the listener. Additionally, depending on the distance between the musicians and the listener, listeners can usually deduce where the sound is coming from. All of these qualities come together to give live music, especially when it’s played in a well-designed and thought-out concert hall, its rich and three-dimensional sound. Sometimes, these qualities are critical to the music, so music is recorded in a way that makes it sound like the listener is at a live performance. The process of recording sounds that are different in each ear to create a 3D effect is called [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binaural_recording binaural recording]. This 3D effect can be nearly perfectly demonstrated through headphones, because different sounds are directed into each ear. However, when music is played over loudspeakers in a large area, it is difficult to maintain this effect because of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstalk crosstalk]. Crosstalk is the issue that the output from both speakers can be heard with both ears, which reduces the binaural effect. <ref name="reference 1">Lacouture Parodi, Y., Rubak, P. (2010). Objective evaluation of the sweet spot size in spatial sound reproduction using elevated loudspeakers. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 128(3), 1045–1055. https://doi.org/10.1121/1.3467763</ref> Two crosstalk minimization – and therefore sweet spot maximization – methods are placing the loudspeakers close together, and placing the loudspeakers at an inclined angle.

[[Image:Position1.jpg‎]]
[[Image:Position2.jpg‎]]

{{Help Nav}}
__TOC__

===Horizontal Placement===
Multiple studies have come to the conclusion that placing speakers closer together increases the size of the sweet spot. If the speakers are closer together, there are less variations of distances between listeners and the speakers.<ref name="reference 1"/> This is demonstrated in figure 1. If two loudspeakers are placed farther apart, there would be a sweet spot in the middle of the two but as a listener got slightly closer to one speaker, that speaker would dominate. If the loudspeakers are closer together, there is a larger range in which the listener can hear both signals. However, if the speakers are too close together then the binaural effect is eliminated completely and it will sound as if there is only one speaker.

Another feature that contributes to the location of the sweet spot is the frequency of the sounds coming from the loudspeakers. High frequency sound waves have short wavelengths that are directed in the direction the speaker is facing, and spread out minimally. Low frequency sound waves have long wavelengths that spread out in all directions and diffract around objects. The long-wavelength, low-frequency sounds reach a larger area and travel further. Considering the difference in frequencies, in situations where a loudspeaker set-up has both tweeters and subwoofers, the angle of the two different speakers can vary.

Overall, the exact optimal horizontal location of two speakers is dependent on a number of factors, including the frequency of the sound coming out of the speakers and the room in which they are being played. The walls of a room can reflect sound, and every room is different. Because of this, the optimal location varies, but placing the speakers in front of the listener rather than to the side has proven to be the most successful.

===Vertical Placement===
Studies show that the elevation of the speakers has an effect on the size of the sweet spot. With respect to head rotations, when the speakers are at a higher elevation, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstalk crosstalk] is minimized and the sweet spot area is increased. The two physical phenomena that must be considered when optimizing the sweet spot size are interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue.

Interaural amplitude difference occurs when one ear is closer to the sound source than the other. The ear further from the sound source is in a “sound shadow of the head” <ref name="book">White, H., White, D. (2014). Physics and Music: The Science of Musical Sound. Place Published: Publisher. Retrieved from: URL (if available)</ref> and the loudness is altered depending on frequency. In the case of high frequencies, if the wavelength is smaller than the size of the head, the sound is blocked and will be much quieter to the ear on the opposite side of the head. In the case of low frequencies, if the wavelength is longer than the size of the head, the sound can sometimes [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffraction diffract] (bend) and become louder to the ear on the opposite side of head.<ref name="slides">Waltham, C. (2017). Lecture 28: Aural Perception [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://wiki.ubc.ca/Course:PHYS341/Lectures/Lecture_30</ref>

Interaural time delay cue is when there is a difference in the time of arrival of the sound at the two ears because one ear is closer to the sound source than the other.<ref name="book"/>

If the listener turns their head when loudspeakers are played, the sound they hear is different than is intended due to these interaural effects. However, if the loudspeakers are placed above the head, when the listener turns their head there is little interaural time delay cue and little interaural amplitude difference. Therefore, optimal performance is obtained when the loudspeakers are placed at a level above the listener's head. <ref name="reference 1"/>

To summarize, the optimal location of loudspeakers to maximize the sweet spot is above head-level and in front of the listener. Vertically, when the speakers are closer to being directly above the listener's head, the effects of interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue are minimized and the size of the loudspeaker sweet spot is increased. If the speakers are placed too close together horizontally, the binaural effect will be eliminated. If they are too far apart, then there is a higher chance of the distance between the listener and each speaker being different, and therefore causing one of the speakers to dominate. The exact optimal horizontal placement varies, but studies consistently show that placing the speakers closer together increases the size of the sweet spot.

==References==

<references/>

File:Position1.png

2017-04-03T17:58:43Z

JaneGriffiths: User created page with UploadWizard

=={{int:filedesc}}==
{{Information
|description={{en|1=This diagram represents two speakers that are placed far apart. One can see that if the listener shifts their position, the distance between he or she and each speaker largely changes. He or she will be much closer to one speaker than the other.
(Made with small scale)}}
|date=2017-04-03 10:54:19
|source={{own}}
|author=[[User:JaneGriffiths|Jane Griffiths]]
|permission=
|other_versions=
}}

=={{int:license-header}}==
{{self|cc-by-sa-3.0}}

[[Category:Uploaded with UploadWizard]]

File:Position2.png

2017-04-03T17:58:42Z

JaneGriffiths: User created page with UploadWizard

=={{int:filedesc}}==
{{Information
|description={{en|1=This diagram represents two speakers that are placed closer together. One can see that if the listener shifts their position, the distance between he or she and each speaker changes less than if the speakers are far apart. The listener will still be able to hear each speaker separately.
(Made with small scale)}}
|date=2017-04-03 10:53:39
|source={{own}}
|author=[[User:JaneGriffiths|Jane Griffiths]]
|permission=
|other_versions=
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[[Category:Uploaded with UploadWizard]]

Course:PHYS341/Archive/2016wTerm2/LoudSpeakerSweetSpot

2017-04-01T19:47:41Z

JaneGriffiths:

[[Category:PHYS341-2017|Loud Speaker Sweet Spot]]

<big><big><big>Loudspeaker Sweet Spot</big></big></big>

The loudspeaker sweet spot is the location between two loudspeakers where the sound played through the speakers is heard how it is intended to be heard, as if it were being played by a live acoustic band. Making music be perceived as if it were being played live can be achieved through headphones; left and right headphones can each play a different track that sound together to play audio to mimic the effect of live music. When listening to live, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoustic_music acoustic music], the sound heard by the listener is dependent on the attributes and atmospheric qualities of the area. For example, echoes, reflections and reverberations create a unique sound for the listener. Additionally, depending on the distance between the musicians and the listener, listeners can usually deduce where the sound is coming from. All of these qualities come together to give live music, especially when it’s played in a well-designed and thought-out concert hall, its rich and three-dimensional sound. Sometimes, these qualities are critical to the music, so music is recorded in a way that makes it sound like the listener is at a live performance. The process of recording sounds that are different in each ear to create a 3D effect is called [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binaural_recording binaural recording]. This 3D effect can be nearly perfectly demonstrated through headphones, because different sounds are directed into each ear. However, when music is played over loudspeakers in a large area, it is difficult to maintain this effect because of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstalk crosstalk]. Crosstalk is the issue that the output from both speakers can be heard with both ears, which reduces the binaural effect. <ref name="reference 1">Lacouture Parodi, Y., Rubak, P. (2010). Objective evaluation of the sweet spot size in spatial sound reproduction using elevated loudspeakers. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 128(3), 1045–1055. https://doi.org/10.1121/1.3467763</ref> Two crosstalk minimization – and therefore sweet spot maximization – methods are placing the loudspeakers close together, and placing the loudspeakers at an inclined angle.
{{Help Nav}}
__TOC__

===Horizontal Placement===
Multiple studies have come to the conclusion that placing speakers closer together increases the size of the sweet spot. If the speakers are closer together, there are less variations of distances between listeners and the speakers.<ref name="reference 1"/> This is demonstrated in figure 1. If two loudspeakers are placed farther apart, there would be a sweet spot in the middle of the two but as a listener got slightly closer to one speaker, that speaker would dominate. If the loudspeakers are closer together, there is a larger range in which the listener can hear both signals. However, if the speakers are too close together then the binaural effect is eliminated completely and it will sound as if there is only one speaker.

Another feature that contributes to the location of the sweet spot is the frequency of the sounds coming from the loudspeakers. High frequency sound waves have short wavelengths that are directed in the direction the speaker is facing, and spread out minimally. Low frequency sound waves have long wavelengths that spread out in all directions and diffract around objects. The long-wavelength, low-frequency sounds reach a larger area and travel further. Considering the difference in frequencies, in situations where a loudspeaker set-up has both tweeters and subwoofers, the angle of the two different speakers can vary.

Overall, the exact optimal horizontal location of two speakers is dependent on a number of factors, including the frequency of the sound coming out of the speakers and the room in which they are being played. The walls of a room can reflect sound, and every room is different. Because of this, the optimal location varies, but placing the speakers in front of the listener rather than to the side has proven to be the most successful.

===Vertical Placement===
Studies show that the elevation of the speakers has an effect on the size of the sweet spot. With respect to head rotations, when the speakers are at a higher elevation, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstalk crosstalk] is minimized and the sweet spot area is increased. The two physical phenomena that must be considered when optimizing the sweet spot size are interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue.

Interaural amplitude difference occurs when one ear is closer to the sound source than the other. The ear further from the sound source is in a “sound shadow of the head” <ref name="book">White, H., White, D. (2014). Physics and Music: The Science of Musical Sound. Place Published: Publisher. Retrieved from: URL (if available)</ref> and the loudness is altered depending on frequency. In the case of high frequencies, if the wavelength is smaller than the size of the head, the sound is blocked and will be much quieter to the ear on the opposite side of the head. In the case of low frequencies, if the wavelength is longer than the size of the head, the sound can sometimes [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffraction diffract] (bend) and become louder to the ear on the opposite side of head.<ref name="slides">Waltham, C. (2017). Lecture 28: Aural Perception [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://wiki.ubc.ca/Course:PHYS341/Lectures/Lecture_30</ref>

Interaural time delay cue is when there is a difference in the time of arrival of the sound at the two ears because one ear is closer to the sound source than the other.<ref name="book"/>

If the listener turns their head when loudspeakers are played, the sound they hear is different than is intended due to these interaural effects. However, if the loudspeakers are placed above the head, when the listener turns their head there is little interaural time delay cue and little interaural amplitude difference. Therefore, optimal performance is obtained when the loudspeakers are placed at a level above the listener's head. <ref name="reference 1"/>

To summarize, the optimal location of loudspeakers to maximize the sweet spot is above head-level and in front of the listener. Vertically, when the speakers are closer to being directly above the listener's head, the effects of interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue are minimized and the size of the loudspeaker sweet spot is increased. If the speakers are placed too close together horizontally, the binaural effect will be eliminated. If they are too far apart, then there is a higher chance of the distance between the listener and each speaker being different, and therefore causing one of the speakers to dominate. The exact optimal horizontal placement varies, but studies consistently show that placing the speakers closer together increases the size of the sweet spot.

==References==

<references/>

Course:PHYS341/Archive/2016wTerm2/LoudSpeakerSweetSpot

2017-03-31T22:26:51Z

JaneGriffiths:

[[Category:PHYS341-2017|Loud Speaker Sweet Spot]]

<big><big><big>Loudspeaker Sweet Spot</big></big></big>

The loudspeaker sweet spot is the location between two loudspeakers where the sound played through the speakers is heard how it is intended to be heard, as if it were being played by a live acoustic band. Making music be perceived as if it were being played live can be achieved through headphones; left and right headphones can each play a different track that sound together to play audio to mimic the effect of live music. When listening to live, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoustic_music acoustic music], the sound heard by the listener is dependent on the attributes and atmospheric qualities of the area. For example, echoes, reflections and reverberations create a unique sound for the listener. Additionally, depending on the distance between the musicians and the listener, listeners can usually deduce where the sound is coming from. All of these qualities come together to give live music, especially when it’s played in a well-designed and thought-out concert hall, its rich and three-dimensional sound. Sometimes, these qualities are critical to the music, so music is recorded in a way that makes it sound like the listener is at a live performance. The process of recording sounds that are different in each ear to create a 3D effect is called [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binaural_recording binaural recording]. This 3D effect can be nearly perfectly demonstrated through headphones, because different sounds are directed into each ear. However, when music is played over loudspeakers in a large area, it is difficult to maintain this effect because of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstalk crosstalk]. Crosstalk is the issue that the output from both speakers can be heard with both ears, which reduces the binaural effect. <ref name="reference 1">Lacouture Parodi, Y., Rubak, P. (2010). Objective evaluation of the sweet spot size in spatial sound reproduction using elevated loudspeakers. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 128(3), 1045–1055. https://doi.org/10.1121/1.3467763</ref> Two crosstalk minimization – and therefore sweet spot maximization – methods are placing the loudspeakers close together, and placing the loudspeakers at an inclined angle.
{{Help Nav}}
__TOC__

===Horizontal Placement===
Multiple studies have come to the conclusion that placing speakers closer together increases the size of the sweet spot. If the speakers are closer together, there are less variations of distances between listeners and the speakers.<ref name="reference 1"/> This is demonstrated in figure 1. If two loudspeakers are placed farther apart, there would be a sweet spot in the middle of the two but as a listener got slightly closer to one speaker, that speaker would dominate. If the loudspeakers are closer together, there is a larger range in which the listener can hear both signals. However, if the speakers are too close together then the binaural effect is eliminated completely and it will sound as if there is only one speaker.

Another feature that contributes to the location of the sweet spot is the frequency of the sounds coming from the loudspeakers. High frequency sound waves have short wavelengths that are directed in the direction the speaker is facing, and spread out minimally. Low frequency sound waves have long wavelengths that spread out in all directions and diffract around objects. The long-wavelength, low-frequency sounds reach a larger area and travel further. Considering the difference in frequencies, in situations where a loudspeaker set-up has both tweeters and subwoofers, the angle of the two different speakers can vary.

Overall, the exact optimal horizontal location of two speakers is dependent on a number of factors, including the frequency of the sound coming out of the speakers and the room in which they are being played. The walls of a room can reflect sound, and every room is different. Because of this, the optimal location varies, but placing the speakers in front of the listener rather than to the side has proven to be the most successful.

===Vertical Placement===
Studies show that the elevation of the speakers has an effect on the size of the sweet spot. With respect to head rotations, when the speakers are at a higher elevation, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstalk crosstalk] is minimized and the sweet spot area is increased. The two physical phenomena that must be considered when optimizing the sweet spot size are interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue.

Interaural amplitude difference occurs when one ear is closer to the sound source than the other. The ear further from the sound source is in a “sound shadow of the head” <ref name="book">White, H., White, D. (2014). Physics and Music: The Science of Musical Sound. Place Published: Publisher. Retrieved from: URL (if available)</ref> and the loudness is altered depending on frequency. In the case of high frequencies, if the wavelength is smaller than the size of the head, the sound is blocked and will be much quieter to the ear on the opposite side of the head. In the case of low frequencies, if the wavelength is longer than the size of the head, the sound can sometimes [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffraction diffract] (bend) and become louder to the ear on the opposite side of head.<ref name="slides">Waltham, C. (2017). Lecture 28: Aural Perception [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://wiki.ubc.ca/Course:PHYS341/Lectures/Lecture_30</ref>

Interaural time delay cue is when there is a difference in the time of arrival of the sound at the two ears because one ear is closer to the sound source than the other.<ref name="book"/>

If the listener turns their head when loudspeakers are played, the sound they hear is different than is intended due to these interaural effects. However, if the loudspeakers are placed above the head, when the listener turns their head there is little interaural time delay cue and little interaural amplitude difference. Therefore, optimal performance is obtained when the loudspeakers are placed at a level above the listener's head. <ref name="reference 1"/>

To summarize, the optimal location of loudspeakers to maximize the sweet spot is above head-level and in front of the listener. Vertically, when the speakers are closer to being directly above the listener's head, the effects of interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue are minimized and the size of the loudspeaker sweet spot is increased. If the speakers are placed too close together horizontally, the binaural effect will be eliminated. If they are too far apart, then there is a higher chance of the distance between the listener and each speaker being different, and therefore causing one of the speakers to dominate. The exact optimal horizontal placement varies, but studies consistently show that placing the speakers closer together increases the size of the sweet spot.

==References==

<references/>

Course:PHYS341/Archive/2016wTerm2/LoudSpeakerSweetSpot

2017-03-31T22:24:09Z

JaneGriffiths:

[[Category:PHYS341-2017|Loud Speaker Sweet Spot]]

<big><big><big>Loudspeaker Sweet Spot</big></big></big>

The loudspeaker sweet spot is the location between two loudspeakers where the sound played through the speakers is heard how it is intended to be heard, as if it were being played by a live acoustic band. Making music be perceived as if it were being played live can be achieved through headphones; left and right headphones can each play a different track that sound together to play audio to mimic the effect of live music. When listening to live, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoustic_music acoustic music], the sound heard by the listener is dependent on the attributes and atmospheric qualities of the area. For example, echoes, reflections and reverberations create a unique sound for the listener. Additionally, depending on the distance between the musicians and the listener, listeners can usually deduce where the sound is coming from. All of these qualities come together to give live music, especially when it’s played in a well-designed and thought-out concert hall, its rich and three-dimensional sound. Sometimes, these qualities are critical to the music, so music is recorded in a way that makes it sound like the listener is at a live performance. The process of recording sounds that are different in each ear to create a 3D effect is called [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binaural_recording binaural recording]. This 3D effect can be nearly perfectly demonstrated through headphones, because different sounds are directed into each ear. However, when music is played over loudspeakers in a large area, it is difficult to maintain this effect because of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstalk crosstalk]. Crosstalk is the issue that the output from both speakers can be heard with both ears, which reduces the binaural effect.<ref name="reference 1"/> Two crosstalk minimization – and therefore sweet spot maximization – methods are placing the loudspeakers close together, and placing the loudspeakers at an inclined angle.
{{Help Nav}}
__TOC__

===Horizontal Placement===
Multiple studies have come to the conclusion that placing speakers closer together increases the size of the sweet spot. If the speakers are closer together, there are less variations of distances between listeners and the speakers.<ref name="reference 1"/> This is demonstrated in figure 1. If two loudspeakers are placed farther apart, there would be a sweet spot in the middle of the two but as a listener got slightly closer to one speaker, that speaker would dominate. If the loudspeakers are closer together, there is a larger range in which the listener can hear both signals. However, if the speakers are too close together then the binaural effect is eliminated completely and it will sound as if there is only one speaker.

Another feature that contributes to the location of the sweet spot is the frequency of the sounds coming from the loudspeakers. High frequency sound waves have short wavelengths that are directed in the direction the speaker is facing, and spread out minimally. Low frequency sound waves have long wavelengths that spread out in all directions and diffract around objects. The long-wavelength, low-frequency sounds reach a larger area and travel further. Considering the difference in frequencies, in situations where a loudspeaker set-up has both tweeters and subwoofers, the angle of the two different speakers can vary.

Overall, the exact optimal horizontal location of two speakers is dependent on a number of factors, including the frequency of the sound coming out of the speakers and the room in which they are being played. The walls of a room can reflect sound, and every room is different. Because of this, the optimal location varies, but placing the speakers in front of the listener rather than to the side has proven to be the most successful.

===Vertical Placement===
Studies show that the elevation of the speakers has an effect on the size of the sweet spot. With respect to head rotations, when the speakers are at a higher elevation, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstalk crosstalk] is minimized and the sweet spot area is increased. The two physical phenomena that must be considered when optimizing the sweet spot size are interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue.

Interaural amplitude difference occurs when one ear is closer to the sound source than the other. The ear further from the sound source is in a “sound shadow of the head” <ref name="book"/> and the loudness is altered depending on frequency. In the case of high frequencies, if the wavelength is smaller than the size of the head, the sound is blocked and will be much quieter to the ear on the opposite side of the head. In the case of low frequencies, if the wavelength is longer than the size of the head, the sound can sometimes [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffraction diffract] (bend) and become louder to the ear on the opposite side of head.<ref name="slides"/>

Interaural time delay cue is when there is a difference in the time of arrival of the sound at the two ears because one ear is closer to the sound source than the other.<ref name="book"/>

If the listener turns their head when loudspeakers are played, the sound they hear is different than is intended due to these interaural effects. However, if the loudspeakers are placed above the head, when the listener turns their head there is little interaural time delay cue and little interaural amplitude difference. Therefore, optimal performance is obtained when the loudspeakers are placed at a level above the listener's head. <ref name="reference 1"/>

To summarize, the optimal location of loudspeakers to maximize the sweet spot is above head-level and in front of the listener. Vertically, when the speakers are closer to being directly above the listener's head, the effects of interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue are minimized and the size of the loudspeaker sweet spot is increased. If the speakers are placed too close together horizontally, the binaural effect will be eliminated. If they are too far apart, then there is a higher chance of the distance between the listener and each speaker being different, and therefore causing one of the speakers to dominate. The exact optimal horizontal placement varies, but studies consistently show that placing the speakers closer together increases the size of the sweet spot.

==References==

<ref name="reference 1">Lacouture Parodi, Y., Rubak, P. (2010). Objective evaluation of the sweet spot size in spatial sound reproduction using elevated loudspeakers. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 128(3), 1045–1055. https://doi.org/10.1121/1.3467763</ref>

<ref name="book">White, H., White, D. (2014). Physics and Music: The Science of Musical Sound. Place Published: Publisher. Retrieved from: URL (if available)</ref>

<ref name="slides">Waltham, C. (2017). Lecture 28: Aural Perception [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://wiki.ubc.ca/Course:PHYS341/Lectures/Lecture_30</ref>

Course:PHYS341/Archive/2016wTerm2/LoudSpeakerSweetSpot

2017-03-31T22:23:07Z

JaneGriffiths:

[[Category:PHYS341-2017|Loud Speaker Sweet Spot]]

<big><big><big>Loudspeaker Sweet Spot</big></big></big>

The loudspeaker sweet spot is the location between two loudspeakers where the sound played through the speakers is heard how it is intended to be heard, as if it were being played by a live acoustic band. Making music be perceived as if it were being played live can be achieved through headphones; left and right headphones can each play a different track that sound together to play audio to mimic the effect of live music. When listening to live, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoustic_music acoustic music], the sound heard by the listener is dependent on the attributes and atmospheric qualities of the area. For example, echoes, reflections and reverberations create a unique sound for the listener. Additionally, depending on the distance between the musicians and the listener, listeners can usually deduce where the sound is coming from. All of these qualities come together to give live music, especially when it’s played in a well-designed and thought-out concert hall, its rich and three-dimensional sound. Sometimes, these qualities are critical to the music, so music is recorded in a way that makes it sound like the listener is at a live performance. The process of recording sounds that are different in each ear to create a 3D effect is called [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binaural_recording binaural recording]. This 3D effect can be nearly perfectly demonstrated through headphones, because different sounds are directed into each ear. However, when music is played over loudspeakers in a large area, it is difficult to maintain this effect because of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstalk crosstalk]. Crosstalk is the issue that the output from both speakers can be heard with both ears, which reduces the binaural effect.<ref name="reference 1"/> Two crosstalk minimization – and therefore sweet spot maximization – methods are placing the loudspeakers close together, and placing the loudspeakers at an inclined angle.
{{Help Nav}}
__TOC__

===Horizontal Placement===
Multiple studies have come to the conclusion that placing speakers closer together increases the size of the sweet spot. If the speakers are closer together, there are less variations of distances between listeners and the speakers.<ref name="reference 1"/> This is demonstrated in figure 1. If two loudspeakers are placed farther apart, there would be a sweet spot in the middle of the two but as a listener got slightly closer to one speaker, that speaker would dominate. If the loudspeakers are closer together, there is a larger range in which the listener can hear both signals. However, if the speakers are too close together then the binaural effect is eliminated completely and it will sound as if there is only one speaker.

Another feature that contributes to the location of the sweet spot is the frequency of the sounds coming from the loudspeakers. High frequency sound waves have short wavelengths that are directed in the direction the speaker is facing, and spread out minimally. Low frequency sound waves have long wavelengths that spread out in all directions and diffract around objects. The long-wavelength, low-frequency sounds reach a larger area and travel further. Considering the difference in frequencies, in situations where a loudspeaker set-up has both tweeters and subwoofers, the angle of the two different speakers can vary.

Overall, the exact optimal horizontal location of two speakers is dependent on a number of factors, including the frequency of the sound coming out of the speakers and the room in which they are being played. The walls of a room can reflect sound, and every room is different. Because of this, the optimal location varies, but placing the speakers in front of the listener rather than to the side has proven to be the most successful.

===Vertical Placement===
Studies show that the elevation of the speakers has an effect on the size of the sweet spot. With respect to head rotations, when the speakers are at a higher elevation, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstalk crosstalk] is minimized and the sweet spot area is increased. The two physical phenomena that must be considered when optimizing the sweet spot size are interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue.

Interaural amplitude difference occurs when one ear is closer to the sound source than the other. The ear further from the sound source is in a “sound shadow of the head” <ref name="book"/> and the loudness is altered depending on frequency. In the case of high frequencies, if the wavelength is smaller than the size of the head, the sound is blocked and will be much quieter to the ear on the opposite side of the head. In the case of low frequencies, if the wavelength is longer than the size of the head, the sound can sometimes [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffraction diffract] (bend) and become louder to the ear on the opposite side of head.<ref name="slides"/>

Interaural time delay cue is when there is a difference in the time of arrival of the sound at the two ears because one ear is closer to the sound source than the other.<ref name="book"/>

If the listener turns their head when loudspeakers are played, the sound they hear is different than is intended due to these interaural effects. However, if the loudspeakers are placed above the head, when the listener turns their head there is little interaural time delay cue and little interaural amplitude difference. Therefore, optimal performance is obtained when the loudspeakers are placed at a level above the listener's head. <ref name="reference 1"/>

To summarize, the optimal location of loudspeakers to maximize the sweet spot is above head-level and in front of the listener. Vertically, when the speakers are closer to being directly above the listener's head, the effects of interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue are minimized and the size of the loudspeaker sweet spot is increased. If the speakers are placed too close together horizontally, the binaural effect will be eliminated. If they are too far apart, then there is a higher chance of the distance between the listener and each speaker being different, and therefore causing one of the speakers to dominate. The exact optimal horizontal placement varies, but studies consistently show that placing the speakers closer together increases the size of the sweet spot.

==References==
<references/>
<ref name="reference 1">Lacouture Parodi, Y., Rubak, P. (2010). Objective evaluation of the sweet spot size in spatial sound reproduction using elevated loudspeakers. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 128(3), 1045–1055. https://doi.org/10.1121/1.3467763</ref>

<ref name="book">White, H., White, D. (2014). Physics and Music: The Science of Musical Sound. Place Published: Publisher. Retrieved from: URL (if available)</ref>

<ref name="slides">Waltham, C. (2017). Lecture 28: Aural Perception [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://wiki.ubc.ca/Course:PHYS341/Lectures/Lecture_30</ref>

Course:PHYS341/Archive/2016wTerm2/LoudSpeakerSweetSpot

2017-03-31T22:22:50Z

JaneGriffiths:

[[Category:PHYS341-2017|Loud Speaker Sweet Spot]]

<big><big><big>Loudspeaker Sweet Spot</big></big></big>

The loudspeaker sweet spot is the location between two loudspeakers where the sound played through the speakers is heard how it is intended to be heard, as if it were being played by a live acoustic band. Making music be perceived as if it were being played live can be achieved through headphones; left and right headphones can each play a different track that sound together to play audio to mimic the effect of live music. When listening to live, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoustic_music acoustic music], the sound heard by the listener is dependent on the attributes and atmospheric qualities of the area. For example, echoes, reflections and reverberations create a unique sound for the listener. Additionally, depending on the distance between the musicians and the listener, listeners can usually deduce where the sound is coming from. All of these qualities come together to give live music, especially when it’s played in a well-designed and thought-out concert hall, its rich and three-dimensional sound. Sometimes, these qualities are critical to the music, so music is recorded in a way that makes it sound like the listener is at a live performance. The process of recording sounds that are different in each ear to create a 3D effect is called [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binaural_recording binaural recording]. This 3D effect can be nearly perfectly demonstrated through headphones, because different sounds are directed into each ear. However, when music is played over loudspeakers in a large area, it is difficult to maintain this effect because of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstalk crosstalk]. Crosstalk is the issue that the output from both speakers can be heard with both ears, which reduces the binaural effect.<ref name="reference 1"/> Two crosstalk minimization – and therefore sweet spot maximization – methods are placing the loudspeakers close together, and placing the loudspeakers at an inclined angle.
{{Help Nav}}
__TOC__

===Horizontal Placement===
Multiple studies have come to the conclusion that placing speakers closer together increases the size of the sweet spot. If the speakers are closer together, there are less variations of distances between listeners and the speakers.<ref name="reference 1"/> This is demonstrated in figure 1. If two loudspeakers are placed farther apart, there would be a sweet spot in the middle of the two but as a listener got slightly closer to one speaker, that speaker would dominate. If the loudspeakers are closer together, there is a larger range in which the listener can hear both signals. However, if the speakers are too close together then the binaural effect is eliminated completely and it will sound as if there is only one speaker.

Another feature that contributes to the location of the sweet spot is the frequency of the sounds coming from the loudspeakers. High frequency sound waves have short wavelengths that are directed in the direction the speaker is facing, and spread out minimally. Low frequency sound waves have long wavelengths that spread out in all directions and diffract around objects. The long-wavelength, low-frequency sounds reach a larger area and travel further. Considering the difference in frequencies, in situations where a loudspeaker set-up has both tweeters and subwoofers, the angle of the two different speakers can vary.

Overall, the exact optimal horizontal location of two speakers is dependent on a number of factors, including the frequency of the sound coming out of the speakers and the room in which they are being played. The walls of a room can reflect sound, and every room is different. Because of this, the optimal location varies, but placing the speakers in front of the listener rather than to the side has proven to be the most successful.

===Vertical Placement===
Studies show that the elevation of the speakers has an effect on the size of the sweet spot. With respect to head rotations, when the speakers are at a higher elevation, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstalk crosstalk] is minimized and the sweet spot area is increased. The two physical phenomena that must be considered when optimizing the sweet spot size are interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue.

Interaural amplitude difference occurs when one ear is closer to the sound source than the other. The ear further from the sound source is in a “sound shadow of the head” <ref name="book"/> and the loudness is altered depending on frequency. In the case of high frequencies, if the wavelength is smaller than the size of the head, the sound is blocked and will be much quieter to the ear on the opposite side of the head. In the case of low frequencies, if the wavelength is longer than the size of the head, the sound can sometimes [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffraction diffract] (bend) and become louder to the ear on the opposite side of head.<ref name="slides"/>

Interaural time delay cue is when there is a difference in the time of arrival of the sound at the two ears because one ear is closer to the sound source than the other.<ref name="book"/>

If the listener turns their head when loudspeakers are played, the sound they hear is different than is intended due to these interaural effects. However, if the loudspeakers are placed above the head, when the listener turns their head there is little interaural time delay cue and little interaural amplitude difference. Therefore, optimal performance is obtained when the loudspeakers are placed at a level above the listener's head. <ref name="reference 1"/>

To summarize, the optimal location of loudspeakers to maximize the sweet spot is above head-level and in front of the listener. Vertically, when the speakers are closer to being directly above the listener's head, the effects of interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue are minimized and the size of the loudspeaker sweet spot is increased. If the speakers are placed too close together horizontally, the binaural effect will be eliminated. If they are too far apart, then there is a higher chance of the distance between the listener and each speaker being different, and therefore causing one of the speakers to dominate. The exact optimal horizontal placement varies, but studies consistently show that placing the speakers closer together increases the size of the sweet spot.

==References==

<ref name="reference 1">Lacouture Parodi, Y., Rubak, P. (2010). Objective evaluation of the sweet spot size in spatial sound reproduction using elevated loudspeakers. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 128(3), 1045–1055. https://doi.org/10.1121/1.3467763</ref>

<ref name="book">White, H., White, D. (2014). Physics and Music: The Science of Musical Sound. Place Published: Publisher. Retrieved from: URL (if available)</ref>

<ref name="slides">Waltham, C. (2017). Lecture 28: Aural Perception [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://wiki.ubc.ca/Course:PHYS341/Lectures/Lecture_30</ref>

Course:PHYS341/Archive/2016wTerm2/LoudSpeakerSweetSpot

2017-03-31T22:22:13Z

JaneGriffiths:

[[Category:PHYS341-2017|Loud Speaker Sweet Spot]]

<big><big><big>Loudspeaker Sweet Spot</big></big></big>

The loudspeaker sweet spot is the location between two loudspeakers where the sound played through the speakers is heard how it is intended to be heard, as if it were being played by a live acoustic band. Making music be perceived as if it were being played live can be achieved through headphones; left and right headphones can each play a different track that sound together to play audio to mimic the effect of live music. When listening to live, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoustic_music acoustic music], the sound heard by the listener is dependent on the attributes and atmospheric qualities of the area. For example, echoes, reflections and reverberations create a unique sound for the listener. Additionally, depending on the distance between the musicians and the listener, listeners can usually deduce where the sound is coming from. All of these qualities come together to give live music, especially when it’s played in a well-designed and thought-out concert hall, its rich and three-dimensional sound. Sometimes, these qualities are critical to the music, so music is recorded in a way that makes it sound like the listener is at a live performance. The process of recording sounds that are different in each ear to create a 3D effect is called [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binaural_recording binaural recording]. This 3D effect can be nearly perfectly demonstrated through headphones, because different sounds are directed into each ear. However, when music is played over loudspeakers in a large area, it is difficult to maintain this effect because of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstalk crosstalk]. Crosstalk is the issue that the output from both speakers can be heard with both ears, which reduces the binaural effect.<ref name="reference 1"/> Two crosstalk minimization – and therefore sweet spot maximization – methods are placing the loudspeakers close together, and placing the loudspeakers at an inclined angle.
{{Help Nav}}
__TOC__

===Horizontal Placement===
Multiple studies have come to the conclusion that placing speakers closer together increases the size of the sweet spot. If the speakers are closer together, there are less variations of distances between listeners and the speakers.<ref name="reference 1"/> This is demonstrated in figure 1. If two loudspeakers are placed farther apart, there would be a sweet spot in the middle of the two but as a listener got slightly closer to one speaker, that speaker would dominate. If the loudspeakers are closer together, there is a larger range in which the listener can hear both signals. However, if the speakers are too close together then the binaural effect is eliminated completely and it will sound as if there is only one speaker.

Another feature that contributes to the location of the sweet spot is the frequency of the sounds coming from the loudspeakers. High frequency sound waves have short wavelengths that are directed in the direction the speaker is facing, and spread out minimally. Low frequency sound waves have long wavelengths that spread out in all directions and diffract around objects. The long-wavelength, low-frequency sounds reach a larger area and travel further. Considering the difference in frequencies, in situations where a loudspeaker set-up has both tweeters and subwoofers, the angle of the two different speakers can vary.

Overall, the exact optimal horizontal location of two speakers is dependent on a number of factors, including the frequency of the sound coming out of the speakers and the room in which they are being played. The walls of a room can reflect sound, and every room is different. Because of this, the optimal location varies, but placing the speakers in front of the listener rather than to the side has proven to be the most successful.

===Vertical Placement===
Studies show that the elevation of the speakers has an effect on the size of the sweet spot. With respect to head rotations, when the speakers are at a higher elevation, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstalk crosstalk] is minimized and the sweet spot area is increased. The two physical phenomena that must be considered when optimizing the sweet spot size are interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue.

Interaural amplitude difference occurs when one ear is closer to the sound source than the other. The ear further from the sound source is in a “sound shadow of the head” <ref name="book"/> and the loudness is altered depending on frequency. In the case of high frequencies, if the wavelength is smaller than the size of the head, the sound is blocked and will be much quieter to the ear on the opposite side of the head. In the case of low frequencies, if the wavelength is longer than the size of the head, the sound can sometimes [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffraction diffract] (bend) and become louder to the ear on the opposite side of head.<ref name="slides"/>

Interaural time delay cue is when there is a difference in the time of arrival of the sound at the two ears because one ear is closer to the sound source than the other.<ref name="book"/>

If the listener turns their head when loudspeakers are played, the sound they hear is different than is intended due to these interaural effects. However, if the loudspeakers are placed above the head, when the listener turns their head there is little interaural time delay cue and little interaural amplitude difference. Therefore, optimal performance is obtained when the loudspeakers are placed at a level above the listener's head. <ref name="reference 1"/>

To summarize, the optimal location of loudspeakers to maximize the sweet spot is above head-level and in front of the listener. Vertically, when the speakers are closer to being directly above the listener's head, the effects of interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue are minimized and the size of the loudspeaker sweet spot is increased. If the speakers are placed too close together horizontally, the binaural effect will be eliminated. If they are too far apart, then there is a higher chance of the distance between the listener and each speaker being different, and therefore causing one of the speakers to dominate. The exact optimal horizontal placement varies, but studies consistently show that placing the speakers closer together increases the size of the sweet spot.

==References==
{{reflist}}
<ref name="reference 1">Lacouture Parodi, Y., Rubak, P. (2010). Objective evaluation of the sweet spot size in spatial sound reproduction using elevated loudspeakers. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 128(3), 1045–1055. https://doi.org/10.1121/1.3467763</ref>

<ref name="book">White, H., White, D. (2014). Physics and Music: The Science of Musical Sound. Place Published: Publisher. Retrieved from: URL (if available)</ref>

<ref name="slides">Waltham, C. (2017). Lecture 28: Aural Perception [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://wiki.ubc.ca/Course:PHYS341/Lectures/Lecture_30</ref>

Course:PHYS341/Archive/2016wTerm2/LoudSpeakerSweetSpot

2017-03-31T22:20:48Z

JaneGriffiths:

[[Category:PHYS341-2017|Loud Speaker Sweet Spot]]

<big><big><big>Loudspeaker Sweet Spot</big></big></big>

The loudspeaker sweet spot is the location between two loudspeakers where the sound played through the speakers is heard how it is intended to be heard, as if it were being played by a live acoustic band. Making music be perceived as if it were being played live can be achieved through headphones; left and right headphones can each play a different track that sound together to play audio to mimic the effect of live music. When listening to live, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoustic_music acoustic music], the sound heard by the listener is dependent on the attributes and atmospheric qualities of the area. For example, echoes, reflections and reverberations create a unique sound for the listener. Additionally, depending on the distance between the musicians and the listener, listeners can usually deduce where the sound is coming from. All of these qualities come together to give live music, especially when it’s played in a well-designed and thought-out concert hall, its rich and three-dimensional sound. Sometimes, these qualities are critical to the music, so music is recorded in a way that makes it sound like the listener is at a live performance. The process of recording sounds that are different in each ear to create a 3D effect is called [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binaural_recording binaural recording]. This 3D effect can be nearly perfectly demonstrated through headphones, because different sounds are directed into each ear. However, when music is played over loudspeakers in a large area, it is difficult to maintain this effect because of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstalk crosstalk]. Crosstalk is the issue that the output from both speakers can be heard with both ears, which reduces the binaural effect.<ref>http://asa.scitation.org/doi/full/10.1121/1.3467763</ref> (reference 1) Two crosstalk minimization – and therefore sweet spot maximization – methods are placing the loudspeakers close together, and placing the loudspeakers at an inclined angle.
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===Horizontal Placement===
Multiple studies have come to the conclusion that placing speakers closer together increases the size of the sweet spot. If the speakers are closer together, there are less variations of distances between listeners and the speakers.<ref>http://asa.scitation.org/doi/full/10.1121/1.3467763</ref> (reference 1) This is demonstrated in figure 1. If two loudspeakers are placed farther apart, there would be a sweet spot in the middle of the two but as a listener got slightly closer to one speaker, that speaker would dominate. If the loudspeakers are closer together, there is a larger range in which the listener can hear both signals. However, if the speakers are too close together then the binaural effect is eliminated completely and it will sound as if there is only one speaker.

Another feature that contributes to the location of the sweet spot is the frequency of the sounds coming from the loudspeakers. High frequency sound waves have short wavelengths that are directed in the direction the speaker is facing, and spread out minimally. Low frequency sound waves have long wavelengths that spread out in all directions and diffract around objects. The long-wavelength, low-frequency sounds reach a larger area and travel further. Considering the difference in frequencies, in situations where a loudspeaker set-up has both tweeters and subwoofers, the angle of the two different speakers can vary.

Overall, the exact optimal horizontal location of two speakers is dependent on a number of factors, including the frequency of the sound coming out of the speakers and the room in which they are being played. The walls of a room can reflect sound, and every room is different. Because of this, the optimal location varies, but placing the speakers in front of the listener rather than to the side has proven to be the most successful.

===Vertical Placement===
Studies show that the elevation of the speakers has an effect on the size of the sweet spot. With respect to head rotations, when the speakers are at a higher elevation, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstalk crosstalk] is minimized and the sweet spot area is increased. The two physical phenomena that must be considered when optimizing the sweet spot size are interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue.

Interaural amplitude difference occurs when one ear is closer to the sound source than the other. The ear further from the sound source is in a “sound shadow of the head” <ref name="book"/> and the loudness is altered depending on frequency. In the case of high frequencies, if the wavelength is smaller than the size of the head, the sound is blocked and will be much quieter to the ear on the opposite side of the head. In the case of low frequencies, if the wavelength is longer than the size of the head, the sound can sometimes [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffraction diffract] (bend) and become louder to the ear on the opposite side of head.<ref name="slides"/>

Interaural time delay cue is when there is a difference in the time of arrival of the sound at the two ears because one ear is closer to the sound source than the other.<ref name="book"/>

If the listener turns their head when loudspeakers are played, the sound they hear is different than is intended due to these interaural effects. However, if the loudspeakers are placed above the head, when the listener turns their head there is little interaural time delay cue and little interaural amplitude difference. Therefore, optimal performance is obtained when the loudspeakers are placed at a level above the listener's head. <ref name="reference 1"/>

To summarize, the optimal location of loudspeakers to maximize the sweet spot is above head-level and in front of the listener. Vertically, when the speakers are closer to being directly above the listener's head, the effects of interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue are minimized and the size of the loudspeaker sweet spot is increased. If the speakers are placed too close together horizontally, the binaural effect will be eliminated. If they are too far apart, then there is a higher chance of the distance between the listener and each speaker being different, and therefore causing one of the speakers to dominate. The exact optimal horizontal placement varies, but studies consistently show that placing the speakers closer together increases the size of the sweet spot.

==References==
{{reflist}}
<ref name="reference 1">Lacouture Parodi, Y., Rubak, P. (2010). Objective evaluation of the sweet spot size in spatial sound reproduction using elevated loudspeakers. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 128(3), 1045–1055. https://doi.org/10.1121/1.3467763</ref>

<ref name="book">White, H., White, D. (2014). Physics and Music: The Science of Musical Sound. Place Published: Publisher. Retrieved from: URL (if available)</ref>

<ref name="slides">Waltham, C. (2017). Lecture 28: Aural Perception [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://wiki.ubc.ca/Course:PHYS341/Lectures/Lecture_30</ref>

<references/>

Course:PHYS341/Archive/2016wTerm2/LoudSpeakerSweetSpot

2017-03-31T21:27:48Z

JaneGriffiths:

[[Category:PHYS341-2017|Loud Speaker Sweet Spot]]

<big><big><big>Loudspeaker Sweet Spot</big></big></big>

The loudspeaker sweet spot is the location between two loudspeakers where the sound played through the speakers is heard how it is intended to be heard, as if it were being played by a live acoustic band. Making music be perceived as if it were being played live can be achieved through headphones; left and right headphones can each play a different track that sound together to play audio to mimic the effect of live music. When listening to live, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoustic_music acoustic music], the sound heard by the listener is dependent on the attributes and atmospheric qualities of the area. For example, echoes, reflections and reverberations create a unique sound for the listener. Additionally, depending on the distance between the musicians and the listener, listeners can usually deduce where the sound is coming from. All of these qualities come together to give live music, especially when it’s played in a well-designed and thought-out concert hall, its rich and three dimensional sound. Sometimes, these qualities are critical to the music, so music is recorded in a way that makes it sound like the listener is at a live performance. The process of recording sounds that are different in each ear to create a 3D effect is called [[binaural recording https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binaural_recording|binaural recording]]. This 3D effect can be nearly perfectly demonstrated through headphones, because different sounds are directed into each ear. However, when music is played over loudspeakers in a large area, it is difficult to maintain this effect because of [[crosstalk https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstalk|crosstalk]]. Crosstalk is the issue that the output from both speakers can be heard with both ears, which reduces the binaural effect.<ref>http://asa.scitation.org/doi/full/10.1121/1.3467763</ref> Two crosstalk minimization – and therefore sweet spot maximization – methods are placing the loud speakers close together, and placing the loudspeakers at an inclined angle.
{{Help Nav}}
__TOC__

===Horizontal Placement===
Multiple studies have come to the conclusion that placing speakers closer together increases the size of the sweet spot. If the speakers are closer together, there are less variations of distances between listeners and the speakers.<ref>http://asa.scitation.org/doi/full/10.1121/1.3467763</ref> This is demonstrated in figure 1. If two loudspeakers are placed farther apart, there would be a sweet spot in the middle of the two but as a listener got slightly closer to one speaker, that speaker would dominate. If the loudspeakers are closer together, there is a larger range in which the listener can hear both signals. However, if the speakers are too close together then the binaural effect is eliminated completely and it will sound as if there is only one speaker.

Another feature that contributes to the location of the sweet spot is the frequency of the sounds coming from the loudspeakers. High frequency sound waves have short wavelengths that are directed in the direction the speaker is facing, and spread out minimally. Low frequency sound waves have long wavelengths that spread out in all directions and diffract around objects. The long-wavelength, low-frequency sounds reach a larger area and travel further. Considering the difference in frequencies, in situations where a loudspeaker set-up has both tweeters and subwoofers, the angle of the two different speakers can vary.

Overall, the exact optimal horizontal location of two speakers is dependent on a number of factors, including the frequency of the sound coming out of the speakers and the room in which they are being played. The walls of a room can reflect sound, and every room is different. Because of this, the optimal location varies, but placing the speakers in front of the listener rather than to the side has proven to be the most successful.

===Vertical Placement===
Studies show that the elevation of the speakers has an effect on the size of the sweet spot. With respect to head rotations, when the speakers are at a higher elevation, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstalk crosstalk] is minimized and the sweet spot area is increased. The two physical phenomena that must be considered when optimizing the sweet spot size are interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue.

Interaural amplitude difference occurs when one ear is closer to the sound source than the other. The ear further from the sound source is in a “sound shadow of the head” and the loudness is altered depending on frequency. In the case of high frequencies, if the wavelength is smaller than the size of the head, the sound is blocked and will be much quieter to the ear on the opposite side of the head. In the case of low frequencies, if the wavelength is longer than the size of the head, the sound can sometimes diffract (bend) and become louder to the ear on the opposite side of head.

Interaural time delay cue is when there is a difference in the time of arrival of the sound at the two ears because one ear is closer to the sound source than the other.

If the listener turns their head when loudspeakers are played, the sound they hear is different than is intended due to the interaural effects. However, if the loudspeakers are placed above the head, when the listener turns their head there is little interaural time delay cue and little interaural amplitude difference. Therefore, optimal performance is obtained when the loudspeakers are placed at a level above the listener's head.

To summarize, the optimal location of loudspeakers to maximize the sweet spot is above head-level and in front of the listener. Vertically, when the speakers are closer to being directly above the listener's head, the effects of interaural amplitude difference and interaural time delay cue are minimized and the size of the loudspeaker sweet spot is increased. If the speakers are placed too close together horizontally, the binaural effect will be eliminated. If they are too far apart, then there is a higher chance of the distance between the listener and each speaker being different, and therefore causing one of the speakers to dominate. The exact optimal horizontal placement varies, but studies consistently show that placing the speakers closer together increases the size of the sweet spot.

==References==
{{reflist}}

Course:PHYS341/Archive/2016wTerm2/LoudSpeakerSweetSpot

2017-03-31T21:13:12Z

JaneGriffiths:

Course:PHYS341/Archive/2016wTerm2/LoudSpeakerSweetSpot

2017-03-31T20:23:01Z

JaneGriffiths:

User talk:NafisaRenateNaumann

2017-03-22T21:11:19Z

JaneGriffiths: Talk page autocreated when first thread was posted

Thread:User talk:NafisaRenateNaumann/Peer Edit

2017-03-22T21:11:19Z

JaneGriffiths: New thread: Peer Edit

Overall, you have really great information in here and have clearly put lots of thought into it, good job! Our main critique is that the structure is a bit unclear. From looking at the wiki format pages, it looks like we’re supposed to have an intro, body and then references. Your writing about your topic doesn’t actually start until about half way through the writing. Maybe consider moving things around to make it a bit clearer – your conclusion would actually be a good start for an intro. The first sentence should be a good indicator of what the page is about, but at the moment it’s about general music. From the Wiki guide page:

- “Good articles start with a brief lead section introducing the topic.”

- “Normally, the opening paragraph summarizes the most important points of the article.”

- “If possible, the page title should be the subject of the first sentence”

Awesome job with in-text links and the diagram.

Here are some catches on grammar:

'''First Paragraph'''

- In first sentence, the part in brackets is a bit of a run-on sentence.

- Second sentence – is the “they” referring to vibrations? I would advise to say that instead.

- Third sentence begins with “this”, which we aren’t supposed to do for this style of writing. Perhaps refer to the previous sentence.

- Sentence that begins with “basic parameters…” is broken up (frequency and amplitude are both the parameters so should be in the sentence), and in a grammar nitpicky way, “amount” should be “number” in this case, as it is something you can count:
The basic parameters of a single sound wave are frequency (realized as pitch: high frequency=high pitch, and low frequency=low pitch), which is the number of repeated waves per second, and amplitude, which indicates the amount of energy that is transferred by the sound wave and the realized volume.

'''Second Paragraph'''

- First sentence of second paragraph – “and” instead of “or”?

- “this is passed by…” sentence – the “this” is a bit unclear again. Then, is the Human air blow etc part going to be separated from the paragraph? Could be in a diagram even, that would be really clear.

'''Third Paragraph'''

- first sentence, “this” again

- Second sentence – no need for a comma after cord

- Third sentence, “this”

- Last sentence, “that”

'''Fourth Paragraph'''

- second sentence, semicolon should be a colon. Maybe “the vocal tract, the nasal tract, and the resonating cavities”?

- “according to x-ray…” sentence needs a comma after vocal tract, and then make clear what the shape of changes - “the shape of the vocal tract”?

- Last sentence: “has” instead of “had”

'''Sixth paragraph'''
- Reference to extensive study? (I know we haven’t referenced things in ours properly)

- Comma after for example

- Reed and “instrument”

- “or a low frequency change similar to the and “vibrato” – some extra words there

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JaneGriffiths:

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JaneGriffiths:

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JaneGriffiths:

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JaneGriffiths:

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JaneGriffiths:

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JaneGriffiths:

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JaneGriffiths:

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JaneGriffiths:

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JaneGriffiths:

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2017-03-16T03:14:53Z

JaneGriffiths:

Course:PHYS341/Archive/2016wTerm2/LoudSpeakerSweetSpot

2017-03-16T03:10:13Z

JaneGriffiths:

[[Category:PHYS341-2017|Loud Speaker Sweet Spot]]

<big><big><big>Loudspeaker Sweet Spot</big></big></big>

===Horizontal Placement===

===Vertical Placement===

Course:PHYS341/Archive/2016wTerm2/LoudSpeakerSweetSpot

2017-02-15T19:41:43Z

JaneGriffiths:

[[Category:PHYS341-2017|Loud Speaker Sweet Spot]]

Course:PHYS341/Archive/2016wTerm2/LoudSpeakerSweetSpot

2017-02-15T19:40:46Z

JaneGriffiths:

[[Category:PHYS341-2017| Loud Speaker Sweet Spot]]

Course:PHYS341/Archive/2016wTerm2/LoudSpeakerSweetSpot

2017-02-15T19:38:08Z

JaneGriffiths:

[[Category:PHYS341-2017|Loud Speaker Sweet Spot]]

Course:PHYS341/Archive/2016wTerm2/LoudSpeakerSweetSpot

2017-02-15T19:34:19Z

JaneGriffiths: Created page with "Loud Speaker Sweet Spot"

Loud Speaker Sweet Spot