Evaluating the Plausibility of Binaural Ambisonics and Parametric Renderings

Himmelein H, Lübeck T, Bau D, Pörschmann C. Evaluating the Plausibility of Binaural Ambisonics and Parametric Renderings. J Audio Eng Soc. 2025;73(11):722-733. doi:10.17743/jaes.2022.0237

@article{Himmelein2025_23104,
  author = {Himmelein, Hendrik and Lübeck, Tim and Bau, David and Pörschmann, Christoph},
  title = {{Evaluating the Plausibility of Binaural Ambisonics and Parametric Renderings}},
  journal = {Journal of the Audio Engineering Society},
  volume = {73},
  number = {11},
  pages = {722--733},
  year = {2025},
  month = nov,
  publisher = {Audio Engineering Society},
  doi = {10.17743/jaes.2022.0237},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.17743/jaes.2022.0237}
}

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Evaluating the Plausibility of Binaural Ambisonics and Parametric Renderings
AU  - Himmelein, Hendrik
AU  - Lübeck, Tim
AU  - Bau, David
AU  - Pörschmann, Christoph
T2  - Journal of the Audio Engineering Society
J2  - J. Audio Eng. Soc.
VL  - 73
IS  - 11
SP  - 722
EP  - 733
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/11/10
DO  - 10.17743/jaes.2022.0237
UR  - https://doi.org/10.17743/jaes.2022.0237
PB  - Audio Engineering Society
LA  - en
AB  - Plausibility has become an established concept for evaluating the overall quality of audio rendering in extended reality. Several studies have assessed plausibility using measured binaural room impulse responses (BRIRs). However, BRIRs measured with an artificial head often suffer from limitations such as high measurement effort and limited individualization. Thus, the present study compares two alternative auralization approaches: an Ambisonics-based method and a parametric approach, using a measured BRIR condition as a reference. The results did not reveal significant differences in overall plausibility between the three conditions. Only slight differences were observed between source positions, which may be attributed to the limited head movement and specific room properties. These findings suggest that the choice of the auralization method has only a minor impact on perceived plausibility. Implications of these results for future research and auralization applications are discussed.
ER  -