Benefits of Multi-Channel Cross-Talk Cancellation systems in reverberant spaces

Cross-Talk Cancellation (CTC) systems are designed to deliver independent signals to the two ears of a listener using two or more loudspeakers. This is achieved by controlling the constructive and destructive interference pattern of the sound fields generated by the loudspeakers at the ears of the listener. Destructive interference causes a reduction of the sound pressure level (SPL) delivered to the listener and reduces the CTC performance when the system is arranged in a reverberant environment. This study demonstrates that the number of loudspeakers controls the balance between constructive and destructive interference required for a given target CTC level. A greater number of loudspeakers reduces the amount of destructive interference, thereby decreasing the overall radiated power (for a given SPL at the listener’s ears) and mitigating the CTC degradation due to room reflections. These findings suggest that multi-channel configurations are more effective in maintaining CTC efficacy in reverberant spaces.