Natural channel separation (NCS) refers to the level of acoustic isolation which exists naturally between the ears for a single sound source. To the authors’ knowledge, no systematic study has been undertaken to identify source positions which can produce the required level of NCS for binaural reproduction to be achieved without using crosstalk cancellation. The transfer functions of 655,214 loudspeaker positions were simulated using the boundary element method and the NCS calculated for each. For loudspeaker positions under 0.5 m from the head there is a clear inverse relationship between NCS and distance. Close to the head, many positions exceed the 20 dB NCS required. Results suggest that near-field binaural reproduction may be implemented without crosstalk cancellation, subject to further perceptual testing.

Authors: Young, Kat; Kearney, Gavin; Tew, Anthony I.
Affiliation: University of York, York, UK
AES Conference: 2018 AES International Conference on Spatial Reproduction - Aesthetics and Science (July 2018)
Paper Number: EB1-9
Publication Date: July 30, 2018 Import into BibTeX
Session Subject: natural channel separation; binaural; computational simulation; boundary element method; head-related transfer function
Permalink: https://www.aes.org/e-lib/browse.cfm?elib=19649

Click to purchase paper as a non-member or login as an AES member. If your company or school subscribes to the E-Library then switch to the institutional version. If you are not an AES member and would like to subscribe to the E-Library then Join the AES!

This paper costs $33 for non-members and is free for AES members and E-Library subscribers.

Learn more about the AES E-Library

E-Library Location:   /conf/2018/spatial/spatial_reproduction_2018_paper_71.pdf

Start a discussion about this paper!