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Updated: Jul 17, 2026

A Method to Study Adaptation to Left-Right Reversed Audition
Published on: October 29, 2018
Evaluation of multichannel reproduced sound: scaling auditory attributes underlying listener preference
Sylvain Choisel1, Florian Wickelmaier
1Sound Quality Research Unit, Department of Acoustics, Aalborg University, 9220 Aalborg, Denmark.
Abstract:
A study was conducted with the goal of quantifying auditory attributes that underlie listener preference for multichannel reproduced sound. Short musical excerpts were presented in mono, stereo, and several multichannel formats to a panel of 40 selected listeners. Scaling of auditory attributes, as well as overall preference, was based on consistency tests of binary paired-comparison judgments and on modeling the choice frequencies using probabilistic choice models. As a result, the preferences of nonexpert listeners could be measured reliably at a ratio scale level. Principal components derived from the quantified attributes predict overall preference well. The findings allow for some generalizations within musical program genres regarding the perception of and preference for certain spatial reproduction modes, but for limited generalizations across selections from different musical genres.
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