The stereo microphones shaped "like a human head" are not stereo but binauaral recording devices. To correctly hear what they record earphones must be used. They are not stereo at all. The sound they record, when done correctly, has all the cues you hear when listening normally and the effects of Dolby need not be encoded; they are there already. Check this link: http://www.binaural.com/. Binaural sound can be excellent but must be heard with earphones to enjoy its true effect.

/binaural rant off

booj:

Binaural, stereo... it's all the same. They both mean "two mono channels". And I am sure it sounds great for some people and not for others. Beacuse the auditory cues your brain uses to determine location are not the same that my brain uses. Everyone is different. You can make a "head" that fits the average, so that most people will get the effect.

My personal opinion is that those head mics are the best way to record a live show. Failing that, two mics placed 90% off axis with each other, with the acute angle towards the musicians.

They are 2 channel 'stereo' microphones without any additional twirks. The only difference is the addition of the simulated human head. The microphones themselves are plain stereo. The combination of them with the head is binaural.

Re: binaural, offtopic as it is. Binaural sound, recorded with two mono mics, one on each side of a dummy head, like the very expensive Aachen head, is in no way stereo nor is it recorded with stereo mics. It has all the cues you would normally hear listening "live." It must be heard with earphones for its true effect and sounds kind of dull through speakers.

Yes, you already said that. And as I already explained, the microphones are regular ones, with the addition of the head. The mics themselves have no supernatural abilities, as you seem to be implying.

I think we understand each other, but you're taking offense the use of 'stereo' to describe two headphones that record into two channels for playback on a regular 'stereo' system with headphones, right?

Edit: if you're being pedantic, I'll get my dictionary with me:

adj : (electronics) designating sound transmission from two sources through two channels [syn: stereophonic, two-channel] n two microphones feed two or more loudspeakers to give a three-dimensional effect to the sound [syn: stereo system, stereophonic system]

I assume 'loudspeakers' here is being used in a context that includes headphones, so 'stereo' certainly applies to binaural recordings, a binaural recording being a subset of a stereo one.

@Garf -

binaural and stereo are similar in that they are recorded with microphones. Binaural is two, only two and never more microphones. It seems to be best when recorded in a human head, or with a dummy dead like the expensive Aachen head which, I think, goes for around EU 20,000. At the other end of the line is the styrofoam head. Stereo can be two or more microphones to create and sweeten the stereo sound. True, this is an obscure area of recorded sound but extremely lifelike. Check the link: http://www.binaural.com/binfaq.html

Boojem

I agree with you one hundred percent as to the diference between Binaurel recording and stereo recordings. I wish that users would read a bit of technical documentation before jumping into these arguments.

I would say that although all binaurel recording are also stereo (2 Channels), not all stereo recordings are binaurel.

I agree that the Earth is round. I wish that people would read a bit of their school books before jumping into these arguments...

I don't think anybody here is saying that "binaural recordings" and usual "stereo recordings" are made the exact same way.
After all with stereo capability, you can present all kinds of recordings; mono,stereo,binaural, DPL/II and so on and so on.. The common thing is that all those recordings can use the 2 channels of stereo capable of separate signaling.