2023, Behavior Research Methods
In internet experiments on auditory perception, playback devices may be a confounding variable reducing internal validity. A procedure to remotely test multiple characteristics of playback devices does not currently exist. Thus, the main goals of this study were to (i) develop and (ii) evaluate a comprehensive, efficient, and easy-to-handle test procedure for the reliable control and identification of playback device characteristics in online experiments. Based on a counting task paradigm, the first part of the Headphone and Loudspeaker Test (HALT–Part I) was developed with which researchers can standardize sound level adjustments, detect stereo/mono playback, and assess lower frequency limits. In a laboratory study (N = 40), HALT–Part I was evaluated with four playback devices (circumaural and intra-aural headphones; external and laptop loudspeakers). Beforehand, the acoustical properties of all playback devices had been measured (e.g., sound pressure level, frequency response, total harmonic distortion). The analysis suggested that HALT–Part I has high test–retest reliability (rtt = .90 for level adjustment and rtt = .79 for stereo/mono detection) and is an efficient (3.5 minutes for completion) method to remotely test playback devices and listening conditions (sound level, stereo/mono playback). The procedure can help improve data quality in internet experiments.
Although virtual reality, video entertainment, and computer games are dependent on the three-dimensional reproduction of sound (including front, rear, and height channels), it remains unclear whether 3D-audio formats actually intensify the emotional listening experience. There is currently no valid inventory for the objective measurement of immersive listening experiences resulting from audio playback formats with increasing degrees of immersion (from mono to stereo, 5.1, and 3D). The development of the Immersive Music Experience Inventory (IMEI) could close this gap. An initial item list (N = 25) was derived from studies in virtual reality and spatial audio, supplemented by researcher-developed items and items extracted from historical descriptions. Psychometric evaluation was conducted by an online study (N = 222 valid cases). The N = 222 Participants (female = 112, mean age = 38.6) were recruited via mailing lists (n = 34) and via a panel provider (n = 188). Based on controlled headphone playback, participants listened to four songs/pieces, each in the three formats of mono, stereo, and binaural 3D audio. The latent construct “immersive listening experience” was determined by probabilistic test theory (item response theory, IRT) and by means of the many-facet Rasch measurement (MFRM). As a result, the specified MFRM model showed good model fit (62.69% of explained variance). The final one-dimensional inventory consists of 10 items and will be made available in English and German.
2023, Behavior Research Methods
HALT (The Headphone and Loudspeaker Test) Part II is a continuation of HALT Part I. The main goals of this study (HALT Part II) were (a) to develop screening tests and strategies to discriminate headphones from loudspeakers, (b) to come up with a methodological approach to combine more than two screening tests, and (c) to estimate data quality and required sample sizes for the application of screening tests. Screening Tests A and B were developed based on psychoacoustic effects. In a first laboratory study (N = 40), the two tests were evaluated with four different playback devices (circumaural and intra-aural headphones; external and laptop loudspeakers). In a final step, the two screening tests A and B and a previously established test C were validated in an Internet-based study (N = 211). Test B showed the best single-test performance (sensitivity = 80.0%, specificity = 83.2%, AUC = .844). Following an epidemiological approach, the headphone prevalence (17.67%) was determined to calculate positive and negative predictive values. For a user-oriented, parameter-based selection of suitable screening tests and the simple application of screening strategies, an online tool was programmed. HALT Part II is assumed to be a reliable procedure for planning and executing screenings to detect headphone and loudspeaker playback. Our methodological approach can be used as a generic technique for optimizing the application of any screening tests in psychological research. HALT Part I and II complement each other to form a comprehensive overall concept to control for playback conditions in Internet experiments.
Music in three-dimensional (3D) audio formats is becoming increasingly important in many areas of the entertainment industry. However, little research has been done on the effects of various playback formats on the emotional listening experience. A study by Hahn made an important contribution to this topic. Based on a repeated measures design and using the Geneva Emotional Music Scale (GEMS), he conducted a listening experiment comparing music experiences resulting from presentations in stereo, 5.1 surround sound, and Auro-3D 9.1 (a 3D audio format containing a 5.1 surround sound layer and four height channels) reproduced by loudspeakers. Data were made available for a reanalysis. The main aims of this study were (1) analyzing listening differences between formats as measured by the original GEMS factors, (2) calculating effect sizes for a better estimation of sample sizes for future studies, and (3) making the data set available to the public. For the reanalysis, the ratings of participants were aggregated (mean values for the nine GEMS factors per audio format). There were significant differences between the formats as shown by a nonparametric MANOVA (N = 52) with the GEMS factors as dependent variables and the three audio formats as a repeated measures factor. For the GEMS factor Transcendence, an ANOVA (N = 52) revealed a large omnibus effect (ηp2 = .206) for the three formats. Pairwise contrasts showed a significant increase (small to medium effect size) in emotional experiences for the Transcendence factor from stereo to surround sound (Cohen's dZ = 0.31), surround sound to 3D audio (Cohen's dZ = 0.45), and stereo to 3D audio (Cohen's dZ = 0.64).
When evaluating surround sound loudspeaker reproduction, perceptual effects are commonly analyzed in relationship to different loudspeaker configurations. The presented work contributes to this by modeling perceptual effects based on acoustic properties of various reproduction formats. A model of immersion in music listening is derived from the results of an experimental study analyzing the psychological construct of immersive music experience. The proposed approach is evaluated with respect to the relationship between immersion ratings and sound field features obtained from re-recordings of the stimuli using a spherical microphone array at the listening position. Spatial sound field parameters such as inter-aural cross-correlation (IACC), diffuseness and directivity are found to be of particular relevance. Further, immersion is observed to reach a point of saturation with greater numbers of loudspeakers, which is confirmed to be predictable from the physical properties of the sound field. Although effects related to participants and musical pieces outweigh the impact of sound field features, the proposed approach is found to be suitable for predicting population-average ratings, i.e. immersion experienced by an average listener for unknown content. The proposed method could complement existing research on multichannel loudspeaker reproduction by establishing a more generalizable framework independent of particular speaker setups.
2023, Journal of the Audio Engineering Society
This work is motivated by the question of whether different loudspeaker-based multichannel playback methods can be robustly characterized by measurable acoustic properties. For that, underlying acoustic dimensions were identified that allow for a discriminative sound field analysis within a music reproduction scenario. The subject of investigation is a set of different musical pieces available in different multichannel playback formats. Re-recordings of the stimuli at a listening position using a spherical microphone array enable a sound field analysis that includes, in total, 237 signal-based indicators in the categories of loudness, quality, spaciousness, and time. The indicators are fed to a factor and time series analysis to identify the most relevant acoustic dimensions that reflect and explain significant parts of the variance within the acoustical data. The results show that of the eight relevant dimensions, the dimensions "High-Frequency Diffusivity," "Elevational Diffusivity," and "Mid-Frequency Diffusivity" are capable of identifying statistically significant differences between the loudspeaker setups. The presented approach leads to plausible results that are in accordance with the expected differences between the loudspeaker configurations used. The findings may be used for a better understanding of the effects of different loudspeaker configurations on human perception and emotional response when listening to music.
28.07 – 31.07.2021 (online), ICMPC/ESCOM, link to abstract, link to poster
28.07 – 31.07.2021 (online), ICMPC/ESCOM, link to abstract, link to video
02.09. – 03.09.2021 (online), Annual Conference of the German Society for Music Psychology (DGM), link to abstract, link to poster
02.09. – 03.09.2021 (online), Annual Conference of the German Society for Music Psychology (DGM), link to abstract, link to poster
03.11. – 06.11.2021 (Düsseldorf), Tonmeistertagung, link to abstract
21.03. – 24.03.2022 (Stuttgart), DAGA, link to poster
21.03. – 24.03.2022 (Stuttgart), DAGA, link to paper
21.03. – 24.03.2022 (Stuttgart), DAGA, link to paper
02.09. – 04.09.2022 (Würzburg), Annual Conference of the German Society for Music Psychology (DGM), link to abstract
02.09. – 04.09.2022 (Würzburg), Annual Conference of the German Society for Music Psychology (DGM), link to abstract, link to poster
06.03. - 09.03.2023 (Hamburg), DAGA - 49. Jahrestagung für Akustik, link to paper
06.03. - 09.03.2023 (Hamburg), DAGA - 49. Jahrestagung für Akustik, link to paper
06.03. - 09.03.2023 (Hamburg), DAGA - 49. Jahrestagung für Akustik, link to paper
06.03. - 09.03.2023 (Hamburg), DAGA - 49. Jahrestagung für Akustik, link to paper
15.06. - 16.06.2023 (University of Gloucestershire), Everyday is Spatial
15.06. - 16.06.2023 (University of Gloucestershire), Everyday is Spatial