Unable to hear back of the head sound effects

@andy2 

Please clarify...are you listening to multi-channel or to stereo (2 channels, speakers in front, maybe a sub)?

I have never heard sounds behind my head on my stereo. I'm not bothered by that. Speakers are in front, so it is normal to hear sound emanating from near where the speakers reside. Any sound you hear that seems to come from behind in a stereo setup is a sonic reflection off something in the room, like the wall, the carpets, furniture and people. These reflections are not wanted as they compete with the direct sound from the speakers in many unpredictable and always unwanted ways. 

If you turn your back on the music ...

There are definitely some songs that have an “effect” where the sound is behind you. I would think that the room has the most impact on whether you hear it or not. 

I think this effect is unique to only a few recordings. The first time I noticed this was listening to a Dead Can Dance CD (I don't recall which, or which song) and there's a whip cracking that happens behind you.  It freaked me out! This is on a Stereo system. It's very distinct and happens every time I play it.  I've since noticed it on a couple of other recordings, but only those few recordings.  I always wondered how it was engineered into the stereo recording.

If not using multichannel, then there should be some resonance in two channel.  It’s probably room acoustics