Estimation of individualized head-related transfer function based on principal component analysis

Abstract

In binaural reproduction providing spatial sound by means of convolving sound sources and head-related transfer functions (HRTFs), it is important to approximate the listener’s own HRTFs with a high degree of accuracy. HRTF measurement, however, typically requires a great deal of labor, time, and expense. In this paper, a method for estimating such individualized HRTFs that uses principal component analysis (PCA) is introduced. In this method, the orthogonal bases of a set of HRTFs are computed and partially measured HRTFs are interpolated from the weighted sum of the bases. The validity of the method was verified in objective and subjective experiments in which the required approximation accuracy of HRTFs was evaluated.