Spatial Analysis and Synthesis Methods: Subjective and Objective Evaluations Using Various Microphone Arrays in the Auralization of a Critical Listening Room
Perceptual and acoustic evaluation reveals fidelity differences across sound reproduction methods in a critical listening room, highlighting the influence of microphone arrays.
Key Points
To evaluate the perceptual and objective acoustic performance of parametric sound field reproduction methods across different microphone arrays and processing configurations in a critical listening room.
Assessed spatial reproduction frameworks, specifically the Spatial Decomposition Method (SDM) and Higher-Order Spatial Impulse Response Rendering (HO-SIRR), across varied microphone array configurations and direction of arrival (DOA) estimation approaches.
All evaluated spatial reproduction systems remained perceptually distinguishable from the binaural reference condition in listening tests.
Employing a high-quality center pressure microphone enhanced the timbral fidelity of SDM and improved spatial fidelity under specific conditions, yielding spatial performance comparable to HO-SIRR.
Binaural SDM presentations exhibited noticeable temporal artifacts that degraded auditory quality, with SDM performance shifting according to array construction and DOA estimation methods.