Towards Maximizing a Perceptual Sweet Spot

TL;DR

This paper introduces a theoretical framework and a novel method to maximize the perceptual sweet spot in spatial sound reproduction, leveraging perceptual models to improve localization and sound quality.

Contribution

It presents a new framework for defining and maximizing the auditory sweet spot using perceptual principles, with a flexible method that outperforms existing approaches.

Findings

Outperforms state-of-the-art methods in localization accuracy

Reduces coloration artifacts in reproduced sound

Flexible approach adaptable to various loudspeaker arrangements

Abstract

The sweet spot can be interpreted as the region where acoustic sources create a spatial auditory illusion. We study the problem of maximizing this sweet spot when reproducing a desired sound wave using an array of loudspeakers. To achieve this, we introduce a theoretical framework for spatial sound perception that can be used to define a sweet spot, and we develop a method that aims to generate a sound wave that directly maximizes the sweet spot defined by a model within this framework. Our method aims to incorporate perceptual principles from the onset and is flexible: while it imposes little to no constraints on the regions of interest, the arrangement of loudspeakers or their radiation pattern, it allows for audio perception models that include state-of-the-art monaural perceptual models. Proof-of-concept experiments show that our method outperforms state-of-the-art methods when comparing them in terms of their localization and coloration properties.