At the end of the day, unless one is listening to a real instrument or audio source such as a vocalist, in a real room, with one's own ears, everything else is a virtual representation. This would include speakers in a listening room, or speakers on a live stage or theatre, or any other form of artificial reproduction.
Therefore can we accept, pretty much anything we hear on speakers (in a room, or in open air), or headphones, or IEM's and anything else is "virtual", or brains do a job of translating this audio into something more or less realistic to real life. Every recording we hear is virtual, in the sense that, we are NOT in the studio with the same speakers where this was mixed, and even where something like Dolby Atmos makes an effort to establish some standards, in terms of angles of speaker placement, we are not in the same room, nor listening to the same speakers used to mix/master that recording.
Therefore any impressions we make of what we hear, will be subjective, and personal.
With all that said, let's look at tools like crossfeed, with or without room emulation via any method, as a listening option for headphones and IEM's. Fortunately we live in a world where there are many options for crossfeed emulation, and we can also combine this with one or more or no options, for room/speaker emulation. And then there is EQ, which is also optional.
There is no right of wrong about any of these, let's treat them like salt and pepper shakers at a dining table. Optional, add or not add to taste. Try them out, see what you like, discard what you do not like. These things beyond or main listening tools, the headphones or IEM's are just icing on the cake.
My experience has been, the resolving abilility of the headphone or IEM itself, makes a huge difference, to the end result, and allows you to hear or not hear well enough, the salt and pepper of crossfeed and other optional listening aids.
I started this journey on listening tool enhancers, a few years ago, with an AKG K702, one of the better over ear headphones for its time, but the more I listen to other devices, such as some IEM's which, in my opinion, are even better resolving, I can hear more of a difference between the crossfeed and room emulation options available to me. Let's start with simple stero placement without any other bells and whistles. My KZ PRX, is more resolving of stereo placement, than my KZ SAGA, so it makes sense that the PRX is more revealing of any further listening enhancement I may wish to add via crossfeed, or room emulation. By the way I must add, using the stock eartips that came with the PRX, does not do them justice, for me. I have to use the Moondrop Spring XL (XL is the size which fits me best), to truly get the best from these IEMs. (I use the XL's for pretty much all my favourite IEM's and they deliver the best results for my ears, from the few eartips I have tried.)
May I suggest, that far more important than any augmentation to our listening chain, is the quality of the fundamental transducer(s). The headphone or other listening device, placed on our head. This is the 70%, anything else is just icing. The eartips in my case definitely help and add another 20%, with other things like crossfeed(removing the extreme left right separation on some recordings), EQ(for personal preference or simulating a room EQ curve), and room emulation(a personal preference), being just - icing, salt and pepper. Add to taste or do not add.
The million dollar question. Are your listening devices, able to resolve well enough, that you can hear accurately enough, any difference that the icing, salt and pepper of crossfeed, and other augments, adds? No point debating crossfeed, if the weak chain in the link is the headphone or IEM(and eartip) itself, limiting our ability to perceive any other enhancements we add to the listening chain !!
On crossfeed, there are now so many ways to do this. Research the various options, and try them all out, within your available time and budget. Pick the one you prefer, and be done with it. Or maybe pick none, if the difference is negligible.
Therefore can we accept, pretty much anything we hear on speakers (in a room, or in open air), or headphones, or IEM's and anything else is "virtual", or brains do a job of translating this audio into something more or less realistic to real life. Every recording we hear is virtual, in the sense that, we are NOT in the studio with the same speakers where this was mixed, and even where something like Dolby Atmos makes an effort to establish some standards, in terms of angles of speaker placement, we are not in the same room, nor listening to the same speakers used to mix/master that recording.
Therefore any impressions we make of what we hear, will be subjective, and personal.
With all that said, let's look at tools like crossfeed, with or without room emulation via any method, as a listening option for headphones and IEM's. Fortunately we live in a world where there are many options for crossfeed emulation, and we can also combine this with one or more or no options, for room/speaker emulation. And then there is EQ, which is also optional.
There is no right of wrong about any of these, let's treat them like salt and pepper shakers at a dining table. Optional, add or not add to taste. Try them out, see what you like, discard what you do not like. These things beyond or main listening tools, the headphones or IEM's are just icing on the cake.
My experience has been, the resolving abilility of the headphone or IEM itself, makes a huge difference, to the end result, and allows you to hear or not hear well enough, the salt and pepper of crossfeed and other optional listening aids.
I started this journey on listening tool enhancers, a few years ago, with an AKG K702, one of the better over ear headphones for its time, but the more I listen to other devices, such as some IEM's which, in my opinion, are even better resolving, I can hear more of a difference between the crossfeed and room emulation options available to me. Let's start with simple stero placement without any other bells and whistles. My KZ PRX, is more resolving of stereo placement, than my KZ SAGA, so it makes sense that the PRX is more revealing of any further listening enhancement I may wish to add via crossfeed, or room emulation. By the way I must add, using the stock eartips that came with the PRX, does not do them justice, for me. I have to use the Moondrop Spring XL (XL is the size which fits me best), to truly get the best from these IEMs. (I use the XL's for pretty much all my favourite IEM's and they deliver the best results for my ears, from the few eartips I have tried.)
May I suggest, that far more important than any augmentation to our listening chain, is the quality of the fundamental transducer(s). The headphone or other listening device, placed on our head. This is the 70%, anything else is just icing. The eartips in my case definitely help and add another 20%, with other things like crossfeed(removing the extreme left right separation on some recordings), EQ(for personal preference or simulating a room EQ curve), and room emulation(a personal preference), being just - icing, salt and pepper. Add to taste or do not add.
The million dollar question. Are your listening devices, able to resolve well enough, that you can hear accurately enough, any difference that the icing, salt and pepper of crossfeed, and other augments, adds? No point debating crossfeed, if the weak chain in the link is the headphone or IEM(and eartip) itself, limiting our ability to perceive any other enhancements we add to the listening chain !!
On crossfeed, there are now so many ways to do this. Research the various options, and try them all out, within your available time and budget. Pick the one you prefer, and be done with it. Or maybe pick none, if the difference is negligible.
Often I probably prefer an illusion. Maybe it's all an illusion.
