We've talked about that on my forum a lot over the years. The whole deal Bose did was based on it, and for whatever other things a person may think, I do think that his observation in that regard was genuine. People almost always think the sound made from a system like that with a lot of reflected energies is very spacious sounding. They marvel at the ambience.

But while it makes a convincing illusion of spaciousness, it does so at the expense of other qualities. It is especially noticeable to me in vocals and piano. The sound from a piano heard live comes from the soundboard, and it doesn't really come from all around you, even in a lively room. Same with vocals, if you're not in a cave or a shower, the direct sound is much louder than the reflected sound. So in some ways, it works but in others, it doesn't.

• Another discussion about direct and reflected sound