Patent ID: 7430298

Claim:
A sound field controller including a plurality of output channels for respectively supplying signals to a plurality of speakers, comprising: a weighting-coefficient outputting unit which outputs weighting coefficients for determining how the signals on the plurality of channels for reproducing a sound field are to be distributed to the output channels, according to a relative positional relationship between the sound field and a listener; an input unit which inputs positional relation data indicating the relative positional relationship; and a distribution controller which distributes the signals on the plurality of channels to the output channels on the basis of the outputted weighting coefficients according to the inputted positional relation data, wherein the speakers are disposed on a predetermined circumference located around a listener and a distance from a central point of a circle where the speakers are disposed to the predetermined circumference is R, and a distance from the central point of the circle to a virtual circumference where virtual speakers are disposed is r, the virtual speakers being located at virtual positions where the sound image is perceived to be if a direction indicator of the listener has been modified, and if 0<r<R, a first term, which is a value derived on the basis of the weighting conditions output from the weighting-coefficient outputting unit and a reproduction level for localizing the sound image on the circumference where the speakers are disposed, and a second term, which is a value derived based on the reproduction level for localizing the listening position where the listener is located, are added to generate coefficients (DSP coefficients), and the distribution controller distributes the signal on the plurality of channels to the output channels on the basis of the generated coefficients, and if r>R, coefficients (DSP coefficients) are generated by multiplying the weighting coefficients output from the weighting-coefficient outputting unit by (R/r) 2 and the distribution controller distributes the signal on the plurality of channels to the output channels on the basis of the generated coefficient.