Influence of virtual audio system on psychological restoration effects of soundscapes: Investigating water sounds of a Chinese classical garden

Abstract

Various sound recording and reproduction methods were utilized to create virtual replicas of soundscapes and restoration effects of soundscapes were examined in studies. The reproduction quality of different virtual audio systems may impact the restoration effect of soundscapes. However, only a limited number of studies have conducted experiments to explore these influences. In this study, five water sounds from a traditional Chinese garden were recorded and reproduced using the monaural, binaural, and first-order Ambisonics technologies. The study evaluated the psychological restorative effects of both virtual and real-world soundscapes through the perceived restorativeness soundscape scale. Furthermore, the perceived realism and spaciousness of the virtual soundscapes were subjectively compared. The findings confirmed the relationship between fidelity and the restorative effects of virtual soundscapes. Binaural recording and playback using a dummy head and headphones proved to be the most authentic method for recreating restorative sound environments. Ambisonics also yielded relatively consistent rating scores compared to real-world cases, whereas the monaural scheme posed a risk of deteriorating the restoration effect of soundscapes.