A modeling of distance perception based on an auditory parallax model Free

Distance perception of sound from a source (<5 m) situated close to a listener was studied under the state without information on intensity and reflections using a small movable loudspeaker in an anechoic room. Distance perception in such a condition is modeled by use of the difference in HRTF (head‐related transfer function) due to the parallax angle calculated from the difference between directions from each ear to the source. This model is called the ‘‘auditory parallax model’’ here. Sound signals to realize this model were digitally synthesized for the listening experiment. In addition, an experiment with an actual sound source and one with HRTF synthesized as precisely as possible were also conducted. The distances obtained for sound with the auditory parallax model and that with synthesized HRTF showed very similar tendencies to those with actual sound sources. That is, in all the three conditions, the perceived distance of a sound image monotonically increased with the physical distance of source for distances up to around 1.2 m. If the presented distance was over 1.2 m, the perceived distance increased lower. These results show that the cues for the distance perception derived by the auditory parallax model is almost sufficient.