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Localization of 3-D Sound Presented through Headphone - Duration of Sound Presentation and Localization Accuracy

The relationship between the duration of a sound presentation and the accuracy of human localization is investigated. The three-dimensional sound is presented via headphones. The head-tracking system was integrated together with the sound presentation. Generalized headrelated transfer functions (HRTFs) are used in the experiment. Six different types of sounds with durations of 0.5, 2, 4, and 6 seconds were presented in random order on any azimuth in the horizontal plane. Thirty subjects participated in the study. A special location indication system called DINC (directional indication compass) was developed. With DINC the judged location of every test can be recorded accurately. The results showed that the localization accuracy is significantly related to the duration of the sound presentation. As long as the sound has a broad frequency bandwidth, the sound type has little effect on the localization accuracy. A presentation of at least 4-second duration is recommended. There is no significant difference between male and female subjects in the accuracy of detection.

Author: Chen, Fang
Affiliation: Department of Industrial Ergonomics, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
JAES Volume 51 Issue 12 pp. 1163-1171; December 2003 Import into BibTeX

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