Many consumer headphones today support a feature often referred to as Spatial Audio. However, there is no clear consensus on what Spatial Audio is and little research on how consumer products perform. Four consumer headphones that support Spatial Audio were evaluated using stereo music content. Head tracking was disabled. In part I, an attribute selection study found that clarity, localizability, externalization, and natural were the four most-chosen attributes for describing the sensory characteristics of Spatial Audio. The practical challenges of evaluating Spatial Audio on consumer products include no given reference; assessor bias; rapid switching between products; suitable product settings; and input content format (e.g., stereo, multichannel, Dolby Atmos). In part II, these challenges are addressed through the experiment design. Assessors rated their ideal and perceived intensities of each attribute shortlisted in part I. The results highlight differences between assessors’ ideals and suggest that no one product was perceived closer to the ideal than any other.
(See document for exact affiliation information.)
Click to purchase paper as a non-member or login as an AES member. If your company or school subscribes to the E-Library then switch to the institutional version. If you are not an AES member Join the AES. If you need to check your member status, login to the Member Portal.
