"and that can make people stop listening" That's what bad audio does. Echo is one part of that, but audio that cuts out or has crackles has a similar effect.

"and that can make people stop listening" That's what bad audio does. Echo is one part of that, but audio that cuts out or has crackles has a similar effect. I disagree that the approaches are invalid. Bad audio is bad audio, and it shows that people's perceptions do change when audio is good and clear.