I am reporting that the issue described in the previous Canny post steam-audio-open-beta#1662 has not been sufficiently resolved. (https://feedback.vrchat.com/steam-audio-open-beta/p/1662-steam-audio-beta-audio-sources-close-to-head-not-panned-hard-enough)
Specifically, the panning and spatialization of audio sources located in very close proximity to the head remain too weak. The separation between the left and right channels is not distinct enough when the source is near the ear.
This lack of accurate spatialization critically impacts immersion, particularly for ASMR content or intimate social interactions where close-range audio positioning is essential.
Below is a comparison demonstrating that the issue persists in the current build compared to earlier versions.
Reference Videos:
Live Build (2025-03-04) - Reference: https://youtu.be/8UoSqduh9Y0
Live Build (2025-12-07) - Current Behavior: https://youtu.be/j3RVQOdXbNo