INVESTIGATING THE IMPORTANCE OF HEIGHT CHANNELS OF CINEMA SURROUND SYSTEMS

Considering multi-channel audio content; room’s acoustics might conflict or maybe assist the target space in some cases. There are inherent limitations of some of the existing surround layouts; such as elevation and directivity, which are crucial elements in sound reproduction in a multi-channel format. In this workshop, we investigate the importance of surround-height channels and their effect on the listening experience in a surround environment. A listening experiment was conducted in which ten untrained listeners were asked to compare seven reproduced sound effects on three different surround systems. Results have indicated that surround-height loudspeakers have a greater influence on perceived sound quality and localization of sound sources.