System and method for virtual sound effect with invisible loudspeaker(s)

Abstract

To provide a system and method for a virtual sound effect with a suitable invisible loudspeaker(s).SOLUTION: In at least one embodiment, an apparatus for providing a virtual sound effect in a listening environment is provided. The apparatus includes at least one controller and an audio playback device. The audio playback device includes the at least one controller that is programmed to receive an audio input signal from an audio input source and to apply a head related transfer function (HRTF) to the audio input signal. The at least one controller is further programmed to apply crosstalk cancellation to the audio input signal and to generate an audio output signal after applying the HRTF and the crosstalk cancellation to the audio input signal for playback by at least one loudspeaker that is invisible to a listener in the listening environment.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 955,844, filed December 31, 2019, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0002] Aspects disclosed herein generally relate to systems and methods for providing virtual sound effects through one or more speakers. In particular, embodiments disclosed herein can provide, but are not limited to, a combination of a virtualizer and in-wall speakers to provide a complete surround sound experience without visible speakers. [Background technology]

[0003] Multichannel systems are known for their complex setup procedures and can be significantly affected by speaker placement. These issues, along with the notorious setup procedures and spatial cabling, can lead to inconsistent sound field reproduction. Furthermore, literature on cross-spatial models suggests that the visual modality can influence information from other senses. Some studies have shown that vision dominates what is heard when varying the degree of spatial congruence. Therefore, vision may have a greater impact on integrated localization than hearing. If listeners can see the speaker(s) and cabling, this can significantly affect the perception of the overall sound location.

[0004] Well-designed all-in-one systems, such as soundbars, can reduce setup complexity. However, these systems typically suffer from low-frequency deficiencies due to their form factor. Modern soundbars also tend to provide a wider sound image by using sidewall reflections. The performance of such technology can be significantly affected by sidewalls, and additional calibration procedures are typically required. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In at least one embodiment, an apparatus for providing virtual sound effects in a listening environment is provided. The apparatus includes at least one controller and an audio playback device. The audio playback device includes the at least one controller programmed to receive an audio input signal from an audio input source and apply a head-related transfer function (HRTF) to the audio input signal. The at least one controller is further programmed to apply crosstalk cancellation to the audio input signal and, after applying the HRTF and crosstalk cancellation to the audio input signal, generate an audio output signal for playback on at least one speaker that is invisible to a listener in the listening environment.

[0006] In at least one embodiment, an apparatus for providing virtual sound effects in a listening environment is provided. The apparatus includes at least one controller and an audio playback device. The audio playback device includes the at least one controller programmed to receive an audio input signal from an audio input source and apply a head-related transfer function (HRTF) to the audio input signal. The at least one controller is further programmed to apply crosstalk cancellation to the audio input signal and to generate an audio output signal after applying the HRTF and crosstalk cancellation to the audio input signal. The at least one controller is further programmed to send the audio output signal to a first concealed speaker and a second concealed speaker for playback in the listening environment with a surround sound experience.

[0007] In at least one other embodiment, a method for providing virtual sound effects in a listening environment is provided. The method includes, at an audio playback device, receiving an audio input signal from an audio input source and applying at least a head-related transfer function (HRTF) to the audio input signal. The method further includes applying crosstalk cancellation to the audio input signal and generating an audio output signal after applying the HRTF and crosstalk cancellation to the audio input signal. The method further includes generating at least one virtual loudspeaker position in the listening environment to provide the effect of the at least one virtual loudspeaker playing the audio output signal while at least one concealed loudspeaker physically located in the listening environment plays the audio output signal. The present specification also provides, for example, the following items: (Item 1) 1. An apparatus for providing virtual sound effects in a listening environment, comprising: At least one controller; 1. An audio playback device, comprising: receiving an audio input signal from an audio input source; applying a head-related transfer function (HRTF) to the audio input signal; applying crosstalk cancellation to the audio input signal; and generating an audio output signal for playback by at least one speaker in the listening environment that is invisible to a listener after applying the HRTF and the crosstalk cancellation to the audio input signal. (Item 2) 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the audio playback device is further programmed to decode multiple input channels of the audio input signal into multi-channel audio before applying the HRTF and the crosstalk cancellation to the audio input signal. (Item 3) 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the audio playback device is further programmed to decode the multiple input channels for a surround sound system. (Item 4) 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the audio playback device includes a user interface for receiving input indicating the position of a virtual speaker, thereby providing the listener with the perception that they are receiving the audio output signal at the position of the virtual speaker. (Item 5) Item 5. The apparatus of item 4, wherein the input corresponds to the position of the virtual speaker in a polar coordinate system. (Item 6) 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the audio playback device is one of a mobile device, a laptop, a tablet, a television, or a media player. (Item 7) 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one speaker is placed on one of a wall, a ceiling, and a floor so that the at least one speaker is not visible to the listener. (Item 8) 1. An apparatus for providing virtual sound effects in a listening environment, comprising: At least one controller; 1. An audio playback device, comprising: receiving an audio input signal from an audio input source; applying at least a head-related transfer function (HRTF) to the audio input signal; applying crosstalk cancellation to the audio input signal; generating an audio output signal after applying the HRTF and the crosstalk cancellation to the audio input signal; transmitting the audio output signal to a first concealed speaker and a second concealed speaker for playback in the listening environment with a surround sound experience; and an audio playback device including the at least one controller programmed to execute: (Item 9) the audio playback device: Item 9. The apparatus of item 8, further programmed to decode multiple input channels of the audio input signal into multi-channel audio before applying the HRTF and the crosstalk cancellation to the audio input signal. (Item 10) 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the audio playback device is further programmed to decode the multiple input channels for a surround sound system. (Item 11) 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the audio playback device includes a user interface for receiving input indicating the position of a virtual speaker, to provide the listener with the perception that they are receiving the audio output signal at the position of the virtual speaker. (Item 12) Item 12. The apparatus of item 11, wherein the input corresponds to the position of the virtual speaker in a polar coordinate system. (Item 13) 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the audio playback device is one of a mobile device, a laptop, a tablet, a television, or a media player. (Item 14) 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein at least one of the first concealed speaker and the second concealed speaker is placed on one of a wall, a ceiling, and a floor, making at least one of the first concealed speaker and the second concealed speaker concealed from the listener. (Item 15) 1. A method for providing virtual sound effects in a listening environment, comprising: receiving an audio input signal at an audio playback device from an audio input source; applying at least a head-related transfer function (HRTF) to the audio input signal; applying crosstalk cancellation to the audio input signal; generating an audio output signal after applying the HRTF and the crosstalk cancellation to the audio input signal; generating at least one virtual loudspeaker position in the listening environment to provide the effect that the at least one virtual loudspeaker is playing the audio output signal while at least one concealed loudspeaker physically located in the listening environment is playing the audio output signal. (Item 16) Item 16. The method of item 15, further comprising decoding multiple input channels of the audio input signal into multi-channel audio before applying the HRTF and the crosstalk cancellation to the audio input signal. (Item 17) Item 17. The method of item 16, wherein decoding the multiple input channels further comprises decoding the multiple input channels for a surround sound system. (Item 18) Item 16. The method of item 15, further comprising receiving input via a user interface indicating a position of the at least one virtual speaker. (Item 19) Item 19. The method of item 18, wherein the input corresponds to the position of the virtual speaker in a polar coordinate system. (Item 20) Item 16. The method of item 15, wherein the at least one invisible speaker is placed on one of a wall, a ceiling, and a floor.

[0008] Embodiments of the present disclosure are pointed out with particularity in the appended claims. However, other features of the various embodiments will become more apparent and will be best understood by reference to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates, in general, a system for providing virtual sound effects through one or more speakers, according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 illustrates the overall principle of combining crosstalk cancellation and head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) according to one embodiment. [Figure 3] 1 shows a schematic diagram of measuring HRTFs according to one embodiment. [Figure 4] 1 illustrates the visualization of different channels by utilizing HRTFs according to one embodiment. [Figure 5] 1 shows an example of front and rear acoustic surfaces for a speaker arrangement according to one embodiment. [Figure 6] 1 shows an example of front and rear acoustic surfaces for a speaker arrangement according to one embodiment. [Figure 7] 1 illustrates a speaker setup in a listening environment according to one embodiment. [Figure 8] 1 illustrates a method for providing virtual sound effects in a listening environment, according to one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Where necessary, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale, and some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein should not be construed as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching those skilled in the art to variously utilize the present invention.

[0011] It should be appreciated that the controllers / devices disclosed herein and in the appendices may include any number of microprocessors, integrated circuits, memory devices (e.g., FLASH, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or other suitable variations thereof), and software that cooperate with each other to perform the operation(s) disclosed herein. Additionally, such disclosed controllers utilize one or more microprocessors to execute computer programs embodied in non-transitory computer-readable media that are programmed to perform any number of the disclosed functions. Furthermore, the controller(s) provided herein include a housing and a varying number of microprocessors, integrated circuits, and memory devices (e.g., FLASH, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM)) disposed within the housing. The disclosed controller(s) also include hardware-based inputs and outputs for sending and receiving data to and from, respectively, other hardware-based devices as discussed herein.

[0012] FIG. 1 generally illustrates a system 100 for providing virtual sound effects through one or more speakers, according to one embodiment. The system 100 generally includes an audio input source 102, a head-related transfer function (HRTF) block 104, a crosstalk cancellation block 106, and at least one speaker 108 (hereinafter, “speaker 108” or “speakers 108”). In one example, at least one speaker 108 (hereinafter, “speaker 108” or “speakers 108”) may be defined as an in-wall speaker(s), positioned behind a wall or other barrier and completely hidden from physical view by a listener (i.e., completely invisible). Additionally or alternatively, the speaker 108 may be positioned on the floor or ceiling. While reference is made to the invisible characteristics of the speaker 108, it is recognized that the speaker grill covering the speaker 108 may also be hidden or invisible, with only the wall, ceiling, or floor visible to the listener. In this case, no visual clues are given to the listener as to the actual physical location of the speaker 108.

[0013] It will be appreciated that the audio input source 102, the HRTF block 104, and the crosstalk cancellation block 106 may be incorporated into a single device, such as audio playback device 110. Alternatively, audio playback device 100 may be distributed across multiple devices. Audio playback device 110 includes at least one controller 103 (“controller 121”) for performing any number of the operations disclosed herein. In one example, audio playback device 110 may correspond to a mobile device, such as, but not limited to, a mobile phone (e.g., a smartphone, an iPhone®, etc.), a handheld computer (e.g., a personal digital assistant (“PDA”), etc.), a tablet (e.g., an iPad®, etc.), a portable audio device (e.g., an iPad®, etc.), or other suitable variations thereof. It will also be appreciated that audio playback device 110 may be used in connection with a home audio system (e.g., a television, a media player such as a Blu-ray player, etc.), or for that matter, any system that typically plays audio in a surround sound format. In general, the crosstalk cancellation block 106 is configured to recreate the desired signal at a single target location while canceling the sound at all remaining target locations.

[0014] The audio playback device 110 also includes a user interface 111 for enabling a listener to assign virtual locations to the speaker(s) 108. This aspect is described in more detail below. The audio playback device 110 may include any number of transceivers 112 for facilitating wireless communication, such as wireless reception of audio data, and / or wireless transmission of audio data to the speakers 108 for playback in the listening environment 115. The audio playback device 110 may utilize any number of wireless protocols for facilitating wireless communication. For example, the wireless protocols may include Bluetooth, WiFi, etc. The audio playback device 110 includes a controller 114 for executing code that enables transmission of audio data to the speakers 108. The audio data may be in the form of file formats such as, but not limited to, wav, mp3, wma, etc. The audio playback device 110 is further configured to communicate, via a WiFi connection, to a server 116 for retrieving and storing any number of such audio data for playback.

[0015] Audio playback device 110 may also be configured to transmit data to speakers 108 when audio playback device 110 receives data from an external source via one or more of transceivers 112. For example, audio playback device 110 may receive audio data broadcast from a radio station (or tower) via frequency modulation (FM) or amplitude modulation (AM), etc. It will also be recognized that audio playback device 110 and speakers 108 may be integrated with at least one of speakers 108 and be in wireless communication with the remaining speakers 108.

[0016] The audio playback device 110 may be implemented in any system utilizing, but not limited to, a surround sound format. The audio playback device 110 may be used as a virtual upmixer to create any number of artificial multi-channel sources. Various non-limiting examples include 5.1 or 7.1 channels. With respect to surround sound, this may involve various speakers surrounding a listener. Surround sound may include techniques that use multiple audio channels from speakers surrounding one or more listeners to increase the fidelity and depth of the audio reproduction. In general, aspects disclosed herein may provide a virtualizer 109 provided by the audio playback device 108 (e.g., via the HRTF block 104 and the crosstalk cancellation block 106) to provide a complete surround sound experience without visible speakers 108. It is also recognized that aspects disclosed herein may be applied to any number of multi-channel encoding technologies, including, but not limited to, Dolby®, THX®, etc.

[0017] For example, the virtualizer 109 may be defined as a block that includes crosstalk cancellation (via the crosstalk cancellation block 106) and HRTFs (via the HRTF block 108) to provide a stereo output that mimics the sensation of a fully calibrated multi-channel audio system. In one example, the audio input source 102 may decode the audio input source into multi-channel audio (e.g., 5.1, 7.1, etc.). The HRTF block 104 can use the HRTF to position audio objects at corresponding locations in space. HRTFs generally correspond to transfer functions that describe how sound from a sound source reaches the user's eardrums. This may include influences on the shape of the listener's outer ear, the shape of the listener's head and body, and the acoustic properties of the surroundings. HRTFs may also affect whether the listener can accurately perceive the direction of a sound. The crosstalk cancellation block 106 can cancel stereo cross-contamination terms to widen the sound field of the listening environment. Generally, audio signals containing directional cues are reproduced at the listener's ears. However, crosstalk can obscure these cues and negatively impact sound localization, so crosstalk cancellation can be used to minimize sound from the speaker 108 to the opposite ear.

[0018] FIG. 2 illustrates the overall principle of combining crosstalk cancellation and HRTFs according to one embodiment. FIG. 2 generally illustrates two loudspeakers 108a, 108b placed in front of a listener (or user) 150. First and second HRTFs 152a, 152b are also shown in FIG. 2. Generally, each of the HRTFs 152a, 152b corresponds to or describes linear filtering of audio signals in a free field from different directions due to physical propagation and scattering around the listener's 150 head. When expressed in the time domain, the HRTFs 152a, 152b are sometimes referred to as head-based impulse responses (HRIRs). Such HRIRs provide specific sound localization cues and can be used in the design and reproduction of spatial audio systems. Generally, the HRTFs 152a, 152b correspond to filtering that is implemented and measured to prevent reflections from walls, ceilings, and floors from affecting the measured impulse response. The HRTFs 152a, 152b may first be characterized or established (i.e., measured) and then stored in coded form within the HRTF block 104. The concept of combining crosstalk cancellation and HRTFs with in-wall (or concealed) speakers 108 adds the effect that sound may come from any number of different directions, while the speakers 108 are hidden from the listener 150.

[0019] FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of measuring HRTFs according to one embodiment. HRTF measurements can be performed in an anechoic chamber to prevent sound reflections from the ceiling, floor, and walls. The listener 150 shown in FIG. 2 is replaced with a dummy head 170 in FIG. 3. In this case, two microphones (not shown) are placed within the dummy head 170, which is placed on a turntable 172. The dummy head 170 can be fixed at the origin of a coordinate system. Various angles of the HRTFs can then be measured in the listening environment. Once the HRTF(s) are acquired, the audio playback device 112 can utilize digital filters (e.g., HRTF block 104) to virtualize speaker positions for various channels of a surround sound system, as shown in more detail in FIG. 4. For example, the input signal filtered by the HRTF block 104 can provide the direction of the sound image. Using crosstalk cancellation, the real HRTFs in the actual system and environment are removed. In this case, the designed HRTF digital filters forming the HRTF block 104 can be developed and implemented according to the listener's (or manufacturer's) desired virtual angles.

[0020] 4 shows the positions of the real speakers 108a, 108b and the positions of the virtual speakers 200a-200e in a surround sound system. In general, the virtual speakers 200a-200e correspond to the sound images perceived by the listener 150 in the surround sound system. The speakers 108a, 108b may be the speakers actually playing audio for the listener 150. However, the virtual speakers 200a-200e (e.g., the sound images perceived by the listener 150) are generated using the HRTF block 104, which provides HRTF(s), and the crosstalk cancellation block 106, which provides crosstalk cancellation. For example, virtual speaker 200a may be perceived by listener 150 as a left speaker in listening environment 115, virtual speaker 200b may be perceived by listener 150 as a center speaker in listening environment 115, virtual speaker 200c may be perceived by listener 150 as a right speaker in listening environment 115, virtual speaker 200d may be perceived by listener 150 as a surround right speaker in listening environment 115, and virtual speaker 200e may be perceived by listener 150 as a surround left speaker in listening environment 115.

[0021] FIG. 4 generally illustrates that the virtual speakers 200a-200e are positioned within a polar coordinate system 220 (e.g., 0-360 degrees). Accordingly, the audio playback device 102 may enable the listener 150 to assign a location to each of the virtual speakers 200a-200e relative to any coordinate in the polar coordinate system 220 via the user interface 111. In this case, HRTFs may be measured at every single degree up to 360 degrees. The listener 150 or the designer may select one angle per input channel as the virtual location (or virtual speaker 200a-200e). By combining the selected angle with the measured HRTFs and crosstalk cancellation, the listener may perceive sound coming from the virtual speakers 200a-200e rather than from the speaker 108. It will be appreciated that the user interface 111 may be in the form of a touch input device, voice command circuitry such as a microphone (e.g., a microphone and circuitry that converts voice commands into electrical input signals), physical switches, or other suitable devices that enable the listener 150 the ability to input information into an electrical device. In one example, the user interface 111 may graphically depict a polar coordinate system 220 on its screen, and the listener 150 may simply assign corresponding virtual speakers 200a-200e to specific coordinates as desired, as shown in the system 220. It will be appreciated that aspects disclosed herein may alter the sound projection location either as a default location indicated by a surround standard (e.g., Dolby or Digital Theater System (DTS) surround speaker location) or as a reading of custom user input(s) for each provided audio source.

[0022] As mentioned above, to achieve the perception of a wider sound field, the audio reproduction device 110 can utilize the crosstalk cancellation block 106 to perform crosstalk cancellation. Thus, assume that G(rk) serves as the crosstalk cancellation function between the kth speaker and the optimized position r. The signals received at the two ears are given by s.

[0023] s=Hq Equation (1)

[0024] where H is the transfer function between the ears of the listener 150 and the speakers 108a, 108b, and q is the source strength, which can be written as:

[0025] q=Gd Equation (2)

[0026] where G is the matrix of G(rk) and d is the input signal. The error between the input signal and the received signal can be:

[0027] e=ds formula (3)

[0028] To minimize the error signal e, G is given by:

[0029] G=[H H H] -1 H H Formula (4)

[0030] To position the audio object at the corresponding location in space, equation (4) can be modified as follows: G T =C F [H H H] -1 H H Formula (5)

[0031] In the formula, C F is the matrix of head-related transfer functions.

[0032] 5 and 6 show examples of front and rear acoustic surfaces of a speaker arrangement according to one embodiment. Such acoustic surfaces can be considered as an actuator-based solution. The actuators can transmit vibrations to the surface to deliver sound. Generally, the actuators can correspond to drivers configured to generate vibrations based on an input signal. Such actuators can be connected to a surface that vibrates and ultimately delivers sound. This implementation can offer various advantages. For example, sound comes from the surface. Therefore, it is possible to hide the drivers within the speaker 108 and embed the speaker 108 within the wall of the listening environment, thereby creating an invisible speaker. Regarding the spatial cross-model, which may suggest that the visual modality often influences information from the auditory modality, the speaker 108 can be hidden along with any wiring so that the sense of space is influenced by the sound. Therefore, when virtual surround audio is presented to the speaker 108, the resulting audio experience can be comparable to watching a movie in a cinema. Due to the size of the speaker's radiating surface being quite large, this can be advantageous over sound bars and televisions, resulting in a wide and immersive soundstage. Research has shown that vision dominates what the listener hears, and therefore vision has a greater influence on integrated localization than hearing. However, if the listener is unaware of the speakers and the speaker wiring is hidden, sound localization can be dominated by the sound, or preferably a virtual image using HRTFs and crosstalk cancellation.

[0033] FIG. 7 illustrates a speaker arrangement 300 in a listening environment 302, according to one embodiment. In the arrangement 300, the audio playback device 110 may be located within a television set 312 to play audio data. It is recognized that the audio playback device 110 may be located within a larger device typically arranged to provide audio data. Acoustic surfaces 310a and 310b may be located in front of the speakers 108a and 108b, respectively. By combining the virtualizer 109 within the audio playback device 110 with the acoustic surfaces 310a and 310b, the arrangement 300 may be, for example, a fully immersive audio surround sound setup with minimal setup procedures and may provide a visual and positive physical impact within the environment 302. As shown, the virtual speakers 200a-200e are embedded in the walls and are invisible to the listener 150.

[0034] 8 illustrates a method 400 for providing virtual sound effects in listening environment 115, according to one embodiment. At operation 402, audio playback device 110 receives an audio input signal from audio input source 102. As noted above, it is recognized that audio input source 102 can be external to audio playback device 110. In another example, audio input source 102 may be internal to audio playback device 110.

[0035] In operation 404, the audio playback device 110 applies the HRTF to the audio input signal. In operation 406, the audio playback device 110 applies crosstalk cancellation to the audio input signal. In operation 408, the audio playback device 110 generates an audio output signal after applying the HRTF and crosstalk cancellation to the audio input signal. In operation 410, the audio playback device 110 generates the position of at least one virtual speaker 200a-200e in the listening environment 115 to provide the effect that the at least one virtual speaker 200a-200e is playing the audio output signal while the speaker 108 in the listening environment 115 is playing the audio output signal.

[0036] While exemplary embodiments have been described above, it is not intended that these embodiments describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it will be understood that various changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. In addition, features of various implementations can be combined to form additional embodiments of the invention.

Claims

1. 1. An apparatus for providing virtual sound effects in a listening environment, said apparatus comprising: at least one controller; 1. An audio playback device, comprising: receiving an audio input signal from an audio input source; measuring head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) and storing said HRTFs as codes in an HRTF block; applying the HRTF to the audio input signal; applying crosstalk cancellation to the audio input signal; and generating an audio output signal for playback by at least one speaker invisible to a listener in the listening environment after applying the HRTFs and the crosstalk cancellation to the audio input signal; the HRTFs applied by the audio playback device correspond to filtering implemented and measured to prevent audio reflections from at least the walls, ceiling, or floor of the listening environment; the at least one speaker together with wiring is placed on one of a wall, a ceiling, and a floor so that the at least one speaker is not visible to the listener; before the audio playback device applies the HRTF and the crosstalk cancellation to the audio input signal; An apparatus in which the HRTFs are measured and then stored as codes within the HRTF blocks.

2. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the audio playback device is further programmed to decode multiple input channels of the audio input signal into multi-channel audio before applying the HRTF and the crosstalk cancellation to the audio input signal.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the audio playback device is further programmed to decode the multiple input channels for a surround sound system.

4. 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the audio playback device includes a user interface for receiving input indicating the location of a virtual speaker to provide the listener with the perception that they are receiving the audio output signal at the location of the virtual speaker.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the input corresponds to a position of the virtual speaker in a polar coordinate system.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the audio playback device is one of a mobile device, a laptop, a tablet, a television, or a media player.

7. 1. An apparatus for providing virtual sound effects in a listening environment, said apparatus comprising: at least one controller; 1. An audio playback device, comprising: receiving an audio input signal from an audio input source; measuring head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) and storing said HRTFs as codes in an HRTF block; applying at least said HRTF to said audio input signal; applying crosstalk cancellation to the audio input signal; generating an audio output signal after applying the HRTF and the crosstalk cancellation to the audio input signal; transmitting the audio output signal to a first concealed speaker and a second concealed speaker for playback in the listening environment with a surround sound experience; an audio playback device including the at least one controller programmed to execute the at least HRTFs applied by the audio reproduction device correspond to at least filtering implemented and measured to prevent audio reflections from walls, ceilings, or floors of the listening environment; at least one of the first concealed speaker and the second concealed speaker together with wiring is placed on one of a wall, a ceiling, and a floor, so that the at least one of the first concealed speaker and the second concealed speaker is concealed from a listener; before the audio playback device applies the HRTF and the crosstalk cancellation to the audio input signal; An apparatus in which the HRTFs are measured and then stored as codes within the HRTF blocks.

8. the audio playback device:

8. The apparatus of claim 7, further programmed to decode multiple input channels of the audio input signal into multi-channel audio before applying the HRTF and the crosstalk cancellation to the audio input signal.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the audio playback device is further programmed to decode the multiple input channels for a surround sound system.

10. 8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the audio playback device includes a user interface for receiving input indicating the location of a virtual speaker to provide a perception that a listener is receiving the audio output signal at the location of the virtual speaker.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the input corresponds to a position of the virtual speaker in a polar coordinate system.

12. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the audio playback device is one of a mobile device, a laptop, a tablet, a television, or a media player.

13. 1. A method for providing virtual sound effects in a listening environment, said method comprising: receiving an audio input signal at an audio playback device from an audio input source; measuring head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) and storing said HRTFs as codes in an HRTF block; applying at least said HRTF to said audio input signal; applying crosstalk cancellation to the audio input signal; generating an audio output signal after applying the HRTF and the crosstalk cancellation to the audio input signal; generating the position of at least one virtual loudspeaker in the listening environment to provide the effect that the at least one virtual loudspeaker is playing the audio output signal while at least one concealed loudspeaker physically located in the listening environment is playing the audio output signal; applying at least HRTFs to the audio input signal corresponds to filtering performed and measured to prevent audio reflections from walls, ceilings or floors of the listening environment; the at least one invisible speaker together with wiring is placed on one of a wall, a ceiling, and a floor; before the audio playback device applies the HRTF and the crosstalk cancellation to the audio input signal; A method in which the HRTFs are measured and then stored as codes within the HRTF blocks.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising decoding multiple input channels of the audio input signal into multi-channel audio before applying the HRTF and the crosstalk cancellation to the audio input signal.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein decoding the multiple input channels further comprises decoding the multiple input channels for a surround sound system.

16. The method of claim 13 , further comprising receiving input via a user interface indicating a position of the at least one virtual speaker.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the input corresponds to a position of the virtual speaker in a polar coordinate system.

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