Comparing Immersive VR and Tablet-Based Music Experience: Subjective and Physiological Responses Across Presentation Formats

Oehler M, Bruns L, Rotsch T, Saurbier B, Voong TM. Comparing Immersive VR and Tablet-Based Music Experience: Subjective and Physiological Responses Across Presentation Formats. In: AVARIG 2026: Audio for Virtual and Augmented Reality and Immersive Games. Audio Engineering Society; 2026. Paper 10315. Available from: https://aes.org/publications/elibrary-page/?id=23277

@inproceedings{Oehler2026_23277,
  author = {Oehler, Michael and Bruns, Leonard and Rotsch, Tobias and Saurbier, Benedict and Voong, Tray Minh},
  title = {{Comparing Immersive VR and Tablet-Based Music Experience: Subjective and Physiological Responses Across Presentation Formats}},
  booktitle = {AVARIG 2026: Audio for Virtual and Augmented Reality and Immersive Games},
  note = {Paper 10315},
  year = {2026},
  month = jun,
  publisher = {Audio Engineering Society},
  url = {https://aes.org/publications/elibrary-page/?id=23277}
}

TY  - CPAPER
TI  - Comparing Immersive VR and Tablet-Based Music Experience: Subjective and Physiological Responses Across Presentation Formats
AU  - Oehler, Michael
AU  - Bruns, Leonard
AU  - Rotsch, Tobias
AU  - Saurbier, Benedict
AU  - Voong, Tray Minh
T2  - AVARIG 2026: Audio for Virtual and Augmented Reality and Immersive Games
M1  - Paper 10315
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/06/30
UR  - https://aes.org/publications/elibrary-page/?id=23277
PB  - Audio Engineering Society
LA  - en
AB  - Immersive virtual reality (VR) is increasingly used to simulate concert experiences, yet it remains unclear whether its experiential advantages are accompanied by corresponding physiological changes when audiovisual content is held constant. The present study compared head-mounted immersive VR concert playback with tablet-based video in a fully counterbalanced within-subject design. Musical content and playback settings were kept constant across conditions, while the presentation format differed between head-mounted immersive viewing and tablet-based video. Results showed consistently higher subjective ratings in VR across all measures, including music-induced affect, chills, perceived presence, and performance liking. In contrast, physiological differences were comparatively small: electrodermal activity showed only a modest increase in VR, and heart rate variability did not reliably differentiate between conditions. These findings suggest that immersive VR substantially enhances subjective music experience, particularly in terms of presence and affective engagement, while corresponding changes in autonomic physiology are limited under controlled conditions. The results indicate that subjective and physiological responses were differentially sensitive to the presentation-format manipulation.
ER  -