Investigating the “Ring of Silence” in Loudspeaker and Binaural Reproduction Using Advanced Ambisonic Decoding Strategies

Fazi FM, Hollebon J, Li Y. Investigating the “Ring of Silence” in Loudspeaker and Binaural Reproduction Using Advanced Ambisonic Decoding Strategies. In: AVARIG 2026: Audio for Virtual and Augmented Reality and Immersive Games. Audio Engineering Society; 2026. Paper 505. Available from: https://aes.org/publications/elibrary-page/?id=23352

@inproceedings{Fazi2026_23352,
  author = {Fazi, Filippo Maria and Hollebon, Jacob and Li, Yueheng},
  title = {{Investigating the “Ring of Silence” in Loudspeaker and Binaural Reproduction Using Advanced Ambisonic Decoding Strategies}},
  booktitle = {AVARIG 2026: Audio for Virtual and Augmented Reality and Immersive Games},
  note = {Paper 505},
  year = {2026},
  month = jun,
  publisher = {Audio Engineering Society},
  url = {https://aes.org/publications/elibrary-page/?id=23352}
}

TY  - CPAPER
TI  - Investigating the “Ring of Silence” in Loudspeaker and Binaural Reproduction Using Advanced Ambisonic Decoding Strategies
AU  - Fazi, Filippo Maria
AU  - Hollebon, Jacob
AU  - Li, Yueheng
T2  - AVARIG 2026: Audio for Virtual and Augmented Reality and Immersive Games
M1  - Paper 505
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/06/30
UR  - https://aes.org/publications/elibrary-page/?id=23352
PB  - Audio Engineering Society
LA  - en
AB  - Higher-Order Ambisonics (HOA) reproduction with conventional mode-matching decoders can exhibit the so-called ring of silence, characterised by sound level reduction in specific spatial or spectral regions. This effect arises in loudspeaker reproduction when the number of loudspeakers exceeds that required by the Ambisonic order, and in binaural rendering when head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) are sampled at a higher spatial resolution than supported by the input signal. This paper investigates the extent to which advanced Ambisonic decoding strategies can mitigate this artefact. In particular, decoders based on Lasso regularisation and magnitude least-squares (MagLS) are evaluated through numerical simulations in both loudspeaker and binaural reproduction scenarios. The results show that both approaches significantly reduce the prominence of the ring of silence compared to conventional minimum-norm mode-matching decoders. In loudspeaker reproduction, a more uniform spatial distribution of SPL is obtained, while in binaural rendering, spectral consistency is improved. An interpretation of these results is proposed, linking the observed behaviour to the underlying optimisation criteria of the decoding process. The results indicate that the ring of silence is not an inherent limitation of Ambisonics, but rather a consequence of the decoding strategy, and can be effectively mitigated through appropriate decoder design.
ER  -