Crossfeed for headphone circuits?

[Dogen]

What are your views on the use of crossfeed for headphones? Being brand new to extended headphone listening, I’ve not yet fully adjusted to the presentation of music through headphones, finding it sometimes stunning and other times unnaturally polarized to each channel. To experiment, I installed an app on my iPhone that allows adjustable crossfeed, and I like a little on some recordings. I’d like to explore it a little more, but my usual playback software (iTunes) doesn’t support it.

Is crossfeed normally implemented in the amp, or in the playback software? Are there any inline analog or digital devices that enable adjustable crossfeed? Any opinions on its utility and disadvantages?

 

[maverickronin]

I can't listen to most music on headphone's without crossfeed unless I want headaches.

Crossfeed is most often implemented in software but a some headamps and literally a handful of DACs have crossfeed implementations. I don't think I've ever seen a commercial inline or line level crossfeed device though there are various schematics for building one.

There are some virtual surround sound devices which digital in and digital out or head outs you could use as line outs into a different amp but their algorithms are geared for gaming and movies and are usually awful for music.

If you're on Windows I could make some software recommendations.

 

[Dogen]

I’m on a Mac. I’d be open to building a circuit - I’ve been looking for an easy first project. Are any of them adjustable? I’ll look around as well...thanks for the response.

 

[maverickronin]

Thankfully the Wayback Machine has an archive of the Chu Moy article which is probably the best place to start.

https://web.archive.org/web/20150419125922/http://headwize.com/?page_id=739

It's possible to build an adjustable one, but you may have to figure it out yourself. I don't remember seeing any schematics for one in my previous research.

Before building a fixed circuit it would probably be best to find software like the Bauer stereophonic-to-binaural DSP which emulates an analog crossfeed circuit and find what settings you like before building it. You could probably get one of those downloads working on a Mac , but off the top of my head I can only think of loading the VST in a DAW.

 

[Dogen]

I also just found this, using Sound Siphon to allow the use of various plug-ins with the Mac. https://sites.google.com/a/marcusfamily.info/diy/hints-and-tips/systemwideequalizerandpluginsformac

 

[maverickronin]

Cool. Looks like you can get bs2b working with that. That should help you pick some settings to build a circuit with.

It looks like that will run any AU plugin too. You may also want to try TB Isone. It's part of this plugin pack. It's an HRTF, speaker, and room simulator. I usually leave the room simulation off and the speakers set to perfectly flat. It's much better than plain crossfeed, but you can't build a circuit to emulate it so it's only useful straight from your computer.

 

[JJB70]

If you have deep pockets SPL have very good adjustable cross feed functionality on their Phonitor headphone amp, it even has analogue VU meters. There is a more basic but much cheaper version too, the Phonitor mini.

 

[solderdude]

I designed and built this one quite a few years ago. Also have a simple passive circuit on this page.

ended up in this design:

 

[SchwarzeWolke]

Meier Audio is also one of the few who incorporate crossfeed into their amps.
I'm also using the "Meier Crossfeed" plugin for Foobar, which really works great for me!

Edit: Totally forgot ifi! The iDSD Black has the "3D+" feature, which is more or less a crossfeed function.

 

[solderdude]

What I understand from people playing with the feature on the ifi is that the stereo image is widened.
Crossfeed narrows the stereo image.
Haven't heard the ifi 3D+ feature myself though.

 

[Fone]

Looks like you can get bs2b working with that.

Thanks for referencing bs2b, it is an interesting free plugin worth checking out. Generally, I prefer no extra EQ or cross-feed schemes.

But bs2b has a smoothing and relaxing effect that might work for low-volume background music whilst reading, working or studying. I'll try it out for a longer test drive...

 

[bigx5murf]

I have a headphone amp with built in crossfeed (headroom cosmo). I don't use it much, but when I do I don't like the crossfeed on. I feel like it losses detail with it on.

I also have a pair of speakers with built in crossfeed (Polk audio sda-2b). I usually leave it on with these. I feel like these actually get more detail with it on. But these speakers are a bit too hot to me. I can't listen to them long.

 

[pwjazz]

I also just found this, using Sound Siphon to allow the use of various plug-ins with the Mac. https://sites.google.com/a/marcusfamily.info/diy/hints-and-tips/systemwideequalizerandpluginsformac

I use MenuBus for this and really like the interface that it provides.

 

[JJB70]

I think that headphone crossfeed is one of those things that either works for you or it does not. I know people who swear by it and insist on it if listening with headphones and others who just don't.

 

[Thomas_A]

There are different kinds of cross-feed circuits. I According to what I've read the Öhman cross-feed was the first, published in the Swedish magazine "Music and Audio-Technical Society" in 1994. Anyone here evaluated different circuits?

 

[MC_RME]

To experiment, I installed an app on my iPhone that allows adjustable crossfeed, and I like a little on some recordings. I’d like to explore it a little more, but my usual playback software (iTunes) doesn’t support it.

Change to Neutron and you get a fully adjustable bs2b crossfeed plus access to your iTunes library...

 

[JJB70]

I use the crossfeed mode as the default with the AKG N90Q, it is very well executed and does sound more natural to me.

 

[Patrick1958]

Since a month or two i'm using Meier crossfeed plugin in foobar at 15 % setting, also in JRmc subtle setting.
My experience is there is a subtle change in imaging and on most recordings in my library for the best. Overall less fatiguing. Sound like crap on highly compressed music.

 

[Hipper]

The theory behind crossfeed is that with speakers we hear in our left ear sound from both the left AND right speakers, and vice versa (known as Interaural Crosstalk). With headphones however we hear only the left signal in the left ear. Crossfeed adds the right signal and presumably makes some calculation regarding the Head Related Transfer Function (HRTF) so that your headphones now produce a sound like speakers might. It is claimed to be a subtle but useful improvement that reduces listening fatigue.

I had a Headroom Blockhead and a Meier amp with crossfeed but couldn't detect any obvious differences nor suffered any listening fatigue without crossfeed. I don't use it these days.

Moving beyond crossfeed is the Smyth Realiser, as mentioned above, and 'Out of Your Head' software which attempt to give real speakers and listening room experience:

https://fongaudio.com/

I've not tried these yet.

Interestingly, Ambiophonics claims the opposite, that stereo sound from speakers including the interaural crosstalk is blemished and have made software (called RACE) to remove it which is said to give a better stereo image. There is also BACCH, another software or hardware which apparently takes things further.

 

[ernestcarl]

mostly use vst e.g. redline or tb isone... I have different presets for different headphones -- sometimes two or three different settings per can. Which one I use depends on the mood. Occasionally, some albums sound better with one setting/vst vs another. I also use music apps on my smartdevices that utilize crossfeed and eq. No luck with my phone's video apps (e.g. youtube, netflix, etc.) though... I tried others like Windows 10 spatial sound and jRiver's own native dsp but was not satisfied with the lack of 'tweakability'. I generally don't have to enable/disable my settings as I have FIVE dedicated DAC/amps used for different headphones that have already been setup as separate 'zones' in Jriver. If I want to use a certain chain of DSPs for a particular headphone (e.g. basement sofa/family room sofa/bed/office desk/wireless headphones) I just switch to the appropriate 'zone' in jRiver and media is played through that device with the presets already in set place. Multizone playback feature in jRiver is pretty awesome for whole house audio systems...