Perceptive and objective evaluation of calibrated room acoustic simulation auralizations

Area of Science:

• Architectural Acoustics
• Virtual Reality
• Psychoacoustics

Background:

• Auralizations are increasingly used in architectural acoustics and virtual reality.
• Few studies have assessed the perceptual quality of room acoustic simulations and auralizations.
• Parameter estimation challenges exist in creating perceptually equivalent simulations compared to measured auralizations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the perceptual quality of state-of-the-art binaural auralizations.
• To investigate the necessity of geometrical acoustics model calibration for realistic auralizations.
• To compare measured and simulated binaural auralizations across different acoustic environments.

Main Methods:

• Selected three diverse test sites: Saint-Germain-des-Prés abbey church, Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral, and Théâtre de l'Athénée.
• Calibrated geometrical acoustics models using omni-directional source-receiver measurements for reverberation and clarity.
• Conducted a subjective listening test comparing measured and simulated binaural auralizations on eight perceptual attributes.

Main Results:

• A methodical calibration procedure, combined with controlled factors, yielded ecologically and perceptually valid auralizations.
• The study demonstrated the effectiveness of calibration in achieving realistic binaural simulations.
• Perceptual validation confirmed the quality of the simulated auralizations.

Conclusions:

• Calibration of geometrical acoustics models is a necessary step for realistic auralizations.
• Well-calibrated auralizations support applications like virtual reality, renovation impact studies, and historical research.
• The findings validate the use of calibrated simulations for perceptual studies in architectural acoustics.