September 2025

Different Perspectives
Music and sound reproduction is not limited to one single perspective.
Editorial By J. Martins

  Opinion is the ideas expressed by a person. Perspective is the point of view from which they view a situation.*

The lines between the two don't seem to be well understood. Perspective helps raise awareness of new ideas and methods.

I welcome a writer's specific judgment or belief about an issue, as long as it is based on evidence and analysis. I believe in the value of perspective as a way to shape methods, sometimes the whole foundation of an entire approach. That always helps to inspire valid research efforts—even if to prove otherwise.

In audioXpress December 2017, we published an interesting article about a different approach to provide the best listening environment for dipolar and multi-directional speakers (omnidirectional), and even directed radiation patterns for specific purposes. In "Educated Reflections," Gary Eickmeier explained why eliminating reflections is not the best approach in a listening room, and how he developed a completely different approach, enhancing the results with "speakers that are renowned for their spaciousness, depth, and 3D imaging."

The information detailed in the article, illustrated with how to achieve the results described, intrigued a lot of audioXpress readers, and inspired some to try it out for themselves.

My perspective on the approach was mainly motivated by having experienced what was being described in that article, even though my "praxis" had been skewed toward different directions. Because of my interest in music production and recording, I listen to music most of the time on nearfield monitors over a standard studio console. But I always felt intrigued by exceptional listening experiences, including immersive audio demonstrations, where speakers just place "sound in the room."

In 2024, an email from Gary Eickmeier landed on my inbox with the title "The Final Frontier" and was openly addressed not only to me but to a remarkable group of audio industry luminaries, eminent researchers (Dr. Floyd Toole included), speaker builders, and audio enthusiasts. 

The urge to share his thoughts was triggered after a listening session of the BACCH processor at the Florida Audio Expo 2025. In his email, Gary offered his perspective about the differences between binaural systems and "field type systems," which he claimed "are constantly confused with each other." A confusion that Gary believes is constantly being aggravated by several attempts to solve the "problem" with stereo reproduction with other perspectives that often serve different purposes: "We need both systems but they should not be confused with each other and neither one is "superior" stereo, just different."

His email message solicited thoughts from the group, which was the start of a long and interesting exchange, punctuated with fascinating responses and illustrated regularly by Gary's own discoveries, experiments, and research. Largely inspired by Amar G. Bose and his research on sound recording and reproduction, Gary even experimented with new recording methods to "check out Floyd's Circle of Confusion and get more knowledgeable about the total process."

In one email, I wrote to Gary: "music and sound reproduction is not limited to one single perspective, as the rich history of recorded sound profusely demonstrates. And different perspectives have led us to today's multichannel and object-based formats, where so many interesting things are happening."

In this issue, you will find Gary Eickmeier's perspective. His life's work.

Also in this issue, Ward Maas reports from the 42nd edition of the High End show, which next year is moving from the MOC Event Center in Munich, Germany, to the Austria Center Vienna.

With every corner of the MOC sold out in 2025, it was obvious that the show's success created a growth problem. The transition was not taken lightly. The High End Society announced the move two years in advance, and even promoted one of its regional trade shows in the new location to test the facilities. I trust this change will be successful. The High End show has always been so well organized, the organization understands the industry it serves, and how to create the right convergence of trends and dynamics. We look forward to Vienna!

J. Martins
Editor-in-Chief

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