Abstract:
Presentation of a synthesized 3-D audio environment depends heavily on the use of head-related transfer functions (HRTF's) when headphones or small numbers of loudspeakers are used for the actual sound sources. The detailed differences between individual's HRTF's are a serious hindrance to the widespread use of such virtual acoustic environments, as standard HRTF models do not perform adequately for large populations. Currentmethods of obtaining HRTF's are very time consuming and inconvenient for the subject, consisting of long periods of immobility during measure-ments. Two new methods under consideration for obtaining an individualized HRTF are discussed which use physical models of the pinnae structure and geometric measurements of the entire head and pinnae. Comparisons of the results as compared with established measurement techniques were made. Subjective comparisons using headphone presentations of virtual complex sound sources were also made.