Meridian Technologies:
Image Elevation

When a loudspeaker is placed below a video display, the human brain does a good job of convincing the listener that sounds, particularly speech, are actually coming from the person talking on screen. However, over long listening periods this effect can start to degrade and can result in listening fatigue. One solution is to place loudspeakers behind the screen, but this is not always possible and can introduce other problems. 

Meridian’s Image Elevation technology uses psychoacoustically informed filtering to help convince the listener that the sound from a loudspeaker placed below a screen is actually coming from the image on screen. This results in a more life-like listening experience with a more convincing soundstage and less fatigue.

CHALLENGE

The human ear is incredibly good at locating sounds. When a speaker is placed lower than desirable, for instance below a screen, a person on the screen and their voice become detached. Whilst the brain can partly compensate for this, over long periods, for instance when watching a whole movie, it can result in listening fatigue. This detracts from the experience. One solution is to have the loudspeaker behind the screen, but this introduces other problems and is not always possible.

SOLUTION

By considering what our ear would expect to hear if the speaker was placed in the correct position, we can psychoacoustically compensate for sub-optimal positioning and raise the sound image.

RESULT

Image Elevation results in a more life-like listening experience with less fatigue and a more accurate soundstage

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Meridian Technologies:
Perfect Balance