Without crossfeed processing (which applies to all headphone users without a software like Neptune or Crossfire), headphone listening, and specifically the stereo field, sounds unnatural. This often leads to a hyper-localized soundstage and exaggerated stereo separation.

Crossfeed distinguishes speaker from headphone listening. In headphones, each ear receives its respective stereo channel directly. With speakers, low and mid-frequency sounds from both channels leak into both ears with a slight delay, known as the Inter-Aural Time Difference (ITD).

When crossfeed processing is applied, headphone listening sounds more natural and comparable to speaker listening. Specifically, low and mid-frequency sounds with stereo information will not give the impression of strict separation between the two audio channels.