Sound zone systems aim to control sound fields in such a way that multiple listeners can enjoy different audio programs within the same room with minimal acoustic interference. Often, there is a trade-off between the acoustic contrast achieved between the zones and the fidelity of the reproduced audio program in the target zone. A listening test was conducted to obtain subjective measures of distraction, target quality, and overall quality of listening experience for ecologically valid programs within a sound zoning system. Sound zones were reproduced using acoustic contrast control, planarity control, and pressure matching applied to a circular loudspeaker array. The highest mean overall quality was a compromise between distraction and target quality. The results showed that the term “distraction” produced good agreement among listeners, and that listener ratings made using this term were a good measure of the perceived effect of the interferer.

Authors: Baykaner, Khan; Coleman, Philip; Mason, Russell; Jackson, Philip J. B.; Francombe, Jon; Olik, Marek; Bech, Søren
Affiliations: Institute of Sound Recording, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK; Centre for Vision, Speech, and Signal Processing, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK; Bang & Olufsen a/s, Struer, Denmark; Section of Signal and Information Processing, Department of Electronic Systems, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark(See document for exact affiliation information.)
JAES Volume 63 Issue 1/2 pp. 78-89; January 2015
Publication Date: February 10, 2015

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