Influences of Training on Externalization of Binaural Synthesis in Situations of Room Divergence

摘要

The current publication investigates how expectations about room acoustics influence the perceived quality. In case of binaural playback, the listener is regularly forced into an acoustically different environment compared to the actual listening room. The conflicting room acoustics of the synthesized and the listening room result in the so-called room divergence effect. Previous research showed that room divergence has a negative influence on the quality feature externalization. In the current listening test, expectations of the listeners were altered in order to measure an effect on the perception of externalization. Two groups of overall 31 listeners were familiarized with two different rooms using a localization test with visual directional feedback. One group was familiarized with a reverberant room and the other group with an acoustically dry room. Audio signals were presented with a static and individualized binaural headphone reproduction system. The disparity between the group ratings represents the effect of training on externalization. The results show that training modifies the listeners' expectations. The reduction of the room divergence effect after training is an indicator for the existence of an auditory room model that is based on prior knowledge and expectations.