Abstract
Headphone transfer function (HpTF) and head-related transfer function (HRTF) measurements are crucial in acoustic science and in binaural virtual acoustic applications. Yet, their measurement set-up, procedure or post-processing is different for nearly every lab, especially for the HRTF measurements. To compare findings between different labs, these measurement deviations have to be quantified alongside with their influence on perceptual aspects. In the scope of a cross-site investigation on loudness balancing between headphone and loudspeaker listening, a set of HpTFs with three different headphones (open, closed, insert earphones) and HRTF close to the eardrum were measured in 14 participants travelling to two different measurement sites at Aachen and Oldenburg. Though set-ups for measuring the HRTF are very different between sites, the gathered HRTFs are quite consistent across them. For the measured HpTFs, across sites the open headphones consistently yield a slightly lower variability in the range from 70 to 5000 Hz than the closed one while the insert earphones exhibit much higher variabilities and a limited range of reproducible results. The difference in loudness balancing across labs could well be predicted by site-specific systematic differences in HpTFs with the exception of 1 kHz narrowband stimulus. This clearly indicates the limits in comparability of HpTFs and loudness balancing across labs and the importance of using headphones with high repeatability like the open ones used in this investigation.
Highlights
With the advent of three-dimensional video capturing and consumer products for playback such as head-mounted displays, correct spatial audio presentation is desired for immersive experiences
Headphone transfer function (HpTF) and head-related transfer function (HRTF) measurements are crucial in acoustic science and in binaural virtual acoustic applications
In the scope of a cross-site investigation on loudness balancing between headphone and loudspeaker listening, a set of HpTFs with three different headphones and HRTF close to the eardrum were measured in 14 participants travelling to two different measurement sites at Aachen and Oldenburg
Summary
With the advent of three-dimensional video capturing and consumer products for playback such as head-mounted displays, correct spatial audio presentation is desired for immersive experiences. HpTFs are directly measured on ear simulators or humans, but they underlie a certain dependency on fitting of the headphone to the head which changes with every taking-off and putting-on (repositioning) of the headphones [3,4,5,6]. Both HRTFs and HpTFs depend on the recording location in the ear, increasing the likelihood that the resulting functions critically depend on the exact procedure pursued in each laboratory and with each individual subject. The aim of the current study is to estimate the expected variation across laboratories in relation to the variability across subjects, and to evaluate these variations by their respective consequences regarding the estimated level at eardrum in a loudness balancing experiment
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
