Comparison of headphones and equalization for virtual auditory source localization

Abstract

This study investigates the variation in localization performance between different headphone styles. Eight different headphones (including various in-ear, circumaural open and closed, and bone conduction headphones) were tested. In addition, the effect of headphone equalization (aiming to produce an approximately flat frequency response) was investigated. Localization was examined for 24 locations distributed on a sphere surrounding the listener. A single subject participated in the study using a single chosen non-individual HRTF set. Each location was repeated 6 times, resulting in a total of 144 localization reports. Overall, results were relatively consistent for 3 out of the 8 headphones tested. For these headphones, there was no significant difference in lateral angle error, associated with ITD and ILD cues. Polar angle errors, associated with the cone of confusion, however did vary significantly for these headphones. The headphone equalization had varying effects on localization accuracy depending on the headphone. Globally, headphone equalization showed no significant effect on localization accuracy. The results serve as a preliminary investigation, highlighting consistent results for only a select group of headphones tested for effective sound rendering in virtual auditory space. In addition, the results suggest that headphone equalization has a minimal influence on localization accuracy under these conditions.