Center point stereo system

Abstract

In an audio processing system a center point stereo sound processor in combination with a digital transducer alignment sound processor converts regular left and right stereo audio source signals to sum and difference signals, enabling a center stage spatialized stereo acoustic image to be created directly from a forward-directed loudspeaker unit and a sideways-directed dipole loud speaker unit. The forward-directed loudspeaker unit includes one vertically-mounted loudspeaker. The sideways-directed dipole loudspeaker unit is located directly below and to the sides of the forward-directed loudspeaker unit and includes two speaker cones connected in parallel and wired out of phase with each other. The center point stereo sound processor receives a left and right, stereo, audio signal source and converts the left and right signals into sum and difference signals. The sum, left plus right signal drives the forward-directed loudspeaker unit. The difference, left minus right signal is subsequently processed by the digital transducer alignment sound processor, which then drives the sideways-directed dipole loudspeaker unit. The digital transducer alignment sound processor applies an audio time delay to the difference signal equal to or longer than that of the delay in sound transmission delay in air from the vertically-mounted loudspeaker of the forward-directed loudspeaker unit to the two speaker cones of the sideways-directed dipole loudspeaker unit. This acoustically repositions the sideways-directed dipole loudspeaker unit so it radiates in the time domain as if the sideways-directed dipole loudspeaker unit was centrally located in reference to the forward-directed loudspeaker unit.