Method of reproducing sound

DETAILED DESCRIPTION In view of these circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a sound reproducing method and an audio signal processing apparatus which make it possible to solve the problem of the existence of rear speakers being sensed by a listener when a sound is radiated from the rear speakers.
To achieve the above-described object, according to the present invention, there is provided a method of reproducing sound comprising the steps of processing, by virtual image orientation processing, sound signals to be supplied to at least two rear speakers so that a listener can have a sound image at a position different from each of real speaker positions at which the rear speakers are placed, or so that the listener is unconscious that sounds are radiated from the rear speakers placed at the real speaker positions, the virtual image orientation processing being performed according to acoustic transfer coefficients of transfer of sounds from virtual speaker positions different from the real speaker positions to the listener's ears; and supplying the sound signals processed by the virtual image orientation processing to the rear speakers.
According to this sound reproducing method, virtual image orientation processing is performed according to acoustic transfer coefficients of transfer of sounds from the rear speakers to the listener's ears when the rear speakers are placed at the virtual speaker positions.
This virtual image orientation processing is processing for enabling a sound image to be located at a position different from each of the real speaker positions, or for keeping the listener unconscious that a sound is radiated from each of the rear speakers at the real speaker positions.
Sounds processed by the virtual image orientation processing are radiated from the rear speakers at the real speaker positions, thereby weakening the listener's consciousness of the existence of the rear speakers at the real speaker positions to improve the original-sound presence in the ambiance of the reproduced sound field