What would happen if you listen to music on speakers not sitting in the "median plane"?

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

The question asks: What would happen if you listen to music on speakers not sitting in the "median plane"?

Option 1: 'Any deviation from this listening position would cause sound from one speaker to reach our ears sooner than sound from the other speaker. Based on what we know about interaural phase cues, we would localize that sound to the speaker closest to us, and the perceived imaging would be skewed to that side.'
- This option aligns with fundamental binaural hearing principles. When you move off the median plane, the interaural time difference (ITD) and interaural level difference (ILD) between the two ears change because one ear is closer to one speaker and farther from the other. The ear nearer to a speaker typically receives the sound sooner and with a different timing cue, biasing localization toward that speaker. The reference to interaural phase cues is consistent with ITD being a primary localization cue for low to mid frequencies, and why imaging can skew toward the closer speaker. Overall, this option correctly describes how a lateral deviation would influence perceived imaging via timing differences.

Option 2: 'Any deviation from this listening state would cause sound from one speaker to be perceived as brighter than sound from the other speaker. Based on what we know about interaural phase cues, we would imagine that the sound of the brighter speaker is mistakenly louder.'
- This claim conflates brightness (spectral content and level) with spatial localization cues. While distance and room acoustics can affect loudness (level) and spectral balance due to head-related transfer functions, lateral deviation in listening position primarily alters the timing and intensity differences between ears that drive lateral localization. Brightness perception is more about frequency content and spectral balance, not a direct, primary cue for determining which speaker is closer. Therefore, this option misattributes which cues drive localization when off the median plane.

Option 3: 'Any deviation from this listening position would cause sound from one speaker to be perceived as duller than sound from the other speaker. Based on what we know about interaural phase cues, we would imagine that the sound of the duller speaker is mistakenly quieter.'
- This statement similarly centers on perceived dullness or quietness as the primary consequence of a deviation. While level differences (ILD) can cause one ear to receive a slightly louder signal, the notion that the deviation would inherently make one speaker sound duller (and that this dullness would drive perceived quietness) oversimplifies and mischaracterizes how localization and imaging work. The dominant localization cues from a lateral shift are timing and level differences that bias toward the closer speaker, not a universal dullness perception bias. This option therefore presents an inaccurate mechanism for how the auditory system localizes sound when off-axis.

In summary, option 1 correctly describes the primary perceptual consequence of deviating from the median plane in a stereo listening setup, by invoking interaural timing differences and skewed imaging toward the nearer speaker. Options 2 and 3 introduce incorrect or overstated associations between spatial deviations and brightness or dullness that do not accurately capture the established cues driving binaural localization in this scenario.

2025SP IR-205-007 Assignment (Due Lesson 4): Self-Review Quiz for Lessons 1, 2 & 3

What would happen if you listen to music on speakers not sitting in the "median plane"?

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