The breakthrough of 3D audio has been hampered by the lack of personalized head-related transfer functions (HRTF) required to create realistic 3D audio environments using headphones. In this paper we present a new method for the user to personalize his/her HRTF, similar to the measurement in an anechoic room, yet it is low-cost and can be carried out at home. We compare the resulting HRTFs with those measured in an anechoic room. Subjecting the participants to a virtual localization experiment, we show that they perform significantly better when using their personalized HRTF, compared to a generic HRTF. We believe this method has the potential of opening the way for large scale commercial use of 3D audio through headphones.

Authors: Reijniers, Jonas; Partoens, Bart; Peremans, Herbert
Affiliations: University of Antwerp, Antwerpen, Belgium; University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium; University of Antwerp, Gent, Belgium(See document for exact affiliation information.)
AES Convention: 143 (October 2017) eBrief:399
Publication Date: October 8, 2017
Subject: Spatial Audio

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