The efficacy of phantom image perception: an active listener perspective.

Bulla WA, Chon SH. The efficacy of phantom image perception: an active listener perspective. In: Express Paper. Audio Engineering Society; 2026. Paper 453. Available from: https://aes.org/publications/elibrary-page/?id=23171

@inproceedings{Bulla2026_23171,
  author = {Bulla, Wesley A. and Chon, Song Hui},
  title = {{The efficacy of phantom image perception: an active listener perspective.}},
  note = {Paper 453},
  year = {2026},
  month = may,
  publisher = {Audio Engineering Society},
  url = {https://aes.org/publications/elibrary-page/?id=23171}
}

TY  - CPAPER
TI  - The efficacy of phantom image perception: an active listener perspective.
AU  - Bulla, Wesley A.
AU  - Chon, Song Hui
M1  - Paper 453
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/05/28
UR  - https://aes.org/publications/elibrary-page/?id=23171
PB  - Audio Engineering Society
LA  - en
AB  - A phantom image is the illusion of an independent sound source created by two or more loudspeakers. Most often created by manipulating level differences between stereophonic channels (aka, panning), the effect is used to create a sense of auditory space between loudspeakers and is largely taken for granted. This research examined the efficacy of phantom image perception horizontally and vertically from an active listener perspective. After listening to a target loudspeaker, listeners (n = 442) were asked to move a phantom sound to a position to match that of the target loudspeaker. The listeners phantom placement was then compared to the target, and subjects were allowed to adjust their phantom position. The horizontal experiment was based on a standard stereophonic 60 loudspeaker array with the target loudspeaker at 15 off center. The vertical experiment utilized elevated loudspeakers on a 60 arc with the target loudspeaker elevated 10 above the horizon (lower loudspeaker). Results show nearly universal undershoot in horizontal placement on first attempts with gradual improvement over trials that coalesced around the projected target location. However, after repeated tries, the final phantom image positions were spread over 2/3 of the left sound field around the target loudspeaker. In the vertical trials phantom placements were spread across the entire sound field in all three trials and failed to show any patterns of convergence towards the target loudspeaker.
ER  -