Robert Morein wrote:


"Bruce J. Richman" wrote in message
...
Robert Morein wrote:
[snip]
I realize that when I'm listening to recordings (and I roll my own so I
can
listen to virtually anything I own -whether on LP or CD), that I'm
obviously
just hearing 2 channel recordings, but nevertheless, they *still* sound
better
with both front and rear speakers going than with just 2 channels.
Perhaps
there are some simulation devices available for car systems like mine now,
but
I just haven't researched this yet.

All well and good.
I would point out, however, for those who are interested, that it is
actually possible to recreate a venue based upon the research into acoustics
performed by Beranek et al. The result can be startling. I attribute the
reluctance of audiophiles to do this more to cognitive dissonance than to
factors involving decor, logistics, complexity, and price.

A car isn't going to do this, because some care must be taken in frequency
response and time delay to the listening position. In order to do what BB&N
do, one has to avoid errors, egregious to the acoustician, such as speakers
pointed well off axis, and at odd angles, which is inevitable in a car. At
the same time, paradoxically, I find the sweet spot enlarged from a point to
a line that one can walk, maintaining all the perception of an orchestra on
stage, enlarged and glorified by the reflections from the proscenium.

But I still enjoy fiddling with the front/back speaker balance in my car



Granted - speaker placement in automobiles is difficult. I was fortunate to
find some veteran installers that able to place the front door tweeters close
to ear level and the midrange/woofers not too much lower. This would,
unfortunately, not be possible in car with smaller doors, since the drivers
require a certain amount of depth that a lot of car doors simply don't have.
The speakers, also, believe it or not, were installed, with small wood baffles
around them - the installers are IASCA pros that do some really wild jobs for
the auto sound show freaks, so they knew how to maximize my humble setup.
Also, the rear speakers are at ear level because they are in the rear deck.
The head unit has bass, treble, and midrange controls along with the usual
front/back and balance controls - so I've got a fair amount of flexibility.
And the amplifier is purely SS and it sounds great to me - so much for tube
bias (pun intended).



Bruce J. Richman