Subjective evaluation for sharp sound image construction based on reverberation control with surround sound system using parametric and electro-dynamic loudspeakers

Abstract

3-D sound field reproduction systems can provide a high presence. These systems commonly use electro-dynamic loudspeakers. Electro-dynamic loudspeakers tend to construct diffuse sound images due to its wide directivity and high reverberation. In contrast, parametric array loudspeakers can construct sharp sound images due to its sharp directivity and low reverberation. On the other hand, it is difficult to provide reverberation presence by parametric array loudspeakers because of the sharp directivity. We have previously proposed a sharp sound image construction based on reverberation control with surround sound system using parametric and electro-dynamic loudspeakers. In this method, the sharp sound image is rendered using parametric array loudspeakers, and the reverberation presence is provided by electro-dynamic loudspeakers, emitting reverberation signals synthesized with reverberation control filters. Through the objective experiments, we have confirmed that this method can construct the sharp sound image with reverberation presence. In this paper, we conduct subjective experiments to confirm if the listeners can perceive the reverberation presence provided by the proposed method. In particular, we evaluated the sharpness and direction of the sound image, and the reverberation presence with objective and subjective evaluation experiments. From the subjective evaluation, we confirmed that the reverberation presence can be perceived.