前方空间环绕声的四扬声器虚拟重放

考虑头部转动带来的动态因素对听觉垂直定位的贡献,提出了前方空间环绕声的四扬声器虚拟重放方法。4个扬声器分别布置在水平面左前、右前以及高仰角的左前上、右前上方向,并采用听觉传输信号处理的方法将多通路空间环绕声信号转换为4个扬声器的重放信号。以9.1通路空间环绕声虚拟重放为例,采用头相关传输函数对双耳声压及其包含的定位因素进行分析表明,该方法可以产生正确的双耳时间差及其随头部转动的变化,从而产生合适的侧向定位双耳因素和垂直定位的动态因素。而心理声学实验结果表明,该方法可以重放稳定的前方空间的水平和垂直虚拟源。因此,四扬声器布置结合听觉传输处理足以重放前方空间环绕声的垂直定位信息,实现多通路空间环绕声的向下混合与简化。      

5.1通路环绕声的耳机虚拟重放

提出了一种改进的5.1通路环绕声的耳机虚拟重放信号处理方法。在对现有的信号处理方法进行分析,指出它会产生不自然主观听觉效果后,通过理论和心理声学实验证明,采用HRTF信号处理、环绕声信号去相关等方法,在克服普通耳机声重放的“头中定位”的缺点、虚拟出多环绕扬声器效果的同时,并未带来新的不自然听觉效果。因此信号处理方法可增加听觉上的包围感,从而改善耳机重放的主观听觉效果。     

5.1通路环绕声的虚拟重放系统

提出了一种改进的5.1通路环绕声虚拟重放系统及其信号处理方法。首先对5.1通路环绕声的虚拟重放声场进行了分析,指出现有的系统存在听音区域窄、声像位置畸变、重放音色改变等缺陷。在此基础上,通过理论分析提出将一对前方重放扬声器布置缩窄到士±15°、音色均衡的信号处理等措施,可较好地克服现有系统的缺陷,且信号处理也相对简单。心理声学实验验证了理论分析,证明系统可重放出整个前半平面(约±90°)的立体声像。因此所提出的系统及其扬声器布置是适合于电视和多媒体计算机的应用。     

扬声器的特性不匹配对虚拟声像的影响

本文从理论和实验上探讨了扬声器的特性不匹配对重放虚拟声像的影响。结果表明,用两扬声器进行虚拟听觉重放时,在某些频率段和虚拟声像角度,两扬声器间很小的幅频特性差异或相频特性差异都足以对虚拟声像方向产生明显的影响。扬声器特性的差异对前方范围的声像影响较小,但对侧向范围的声像影响较大,因而两扬声器的特性不匹配也是导致虚拟听觉重放时侧向声像位置畸变的重要原因之一。而在实际应用中要特别注意两扬声器的特性匹配,或者要用信号处理的方法对两扬声器的特性进行校正。     

改进的5.1通路环绕声三扬声器虚拟重发系统

提出一种改进的5．1通路环绕声的三扬声器虚拟重发系统。本文首先指出,现有的两扬声器虚拟重发存在听音区域窄、声像稳定性差等缺陷。通过理论分析和心理声实验证明,采用一对布置在前方±30°的全频带扬声器和一个前方0°的高频中置扬声器组成5．1通路环绕声虚拟重发系统,不但可提高重发声像的稳定性,且扬声器布置实际可行,信号处理相对简单。因此所提出的虚拟系统及其扬声器布置是适合于电视和多媒体计算机的应用。     

一种用于手持式播放装置的立体声扩展方法

手持式播放装置的一对立体声扬声器相对倾听者的张角窄、距离近,影响立体声重放效果。针对这类应用提出了一种立体声扩展方法,它采用远场和近场头相关传输函数(HRTF)设计听觉传输滤波器并将低频信号滤除。该方法适应了近距离扬声器重放并避免了窄张角扬声器布置带来的信号处理中过分的低频提升问题。该方法不但能改善重放性能,且对计算和存储量要求较低,适合于手持式播放装置的信号处理硬件配置。声像定位实验验证了该方法的效果。     

平面环绕声场的研究

本文应用了环绕声场重发中的声像定位公式,普遍地探讨了(包括左、右对称和不对称)二个传输通路的矩阵型立体声系统。证明了它们重发时都不可能获得一个无声像位置畸变的平面环绕声场,因而肯定了一切4-2-4矩阵型立体声系统都不是完美的平面环绕声系统。 文中也指出采用三个传输通路的立体声系统能够在重发时产生无声像位置畸变的平面环绕声场,着重指出,三个独立传输信号的形式不是唯一的,给出了任意两组独立传输信号和所对应的两个不同的译码矩阵的变换关系。文中最后指出了选择独立传输信号形式时所应注意的问题。     

对5通路3/2环绕声系统缺陷的分析

本文利用环绕声重发的声像定位理论，对一种受到重视、很可能将被国际上广泛应用的通用环绕声系统—5通路3／2系统的声像特性进行了分析，并对系统进行了声像定位实验．理论和实验结果表明，按目前的信号馈给方式，系统可在倾听者前方产生稳定而明晰的声像；但在侧向和后方只能产生模糊和不稳定的声像（扬声器方向除外）；将别是在侧向，存在着一个声像的死区，并且对侧向和后方声像来说，听音区域片不宽阔，因而作为一种通用的系统，虽然将其用作伴随图像的重发时，可获得较好的效果；但用作不伴随图像的重发时，系统并不能很好地再观原声场的空间感。由于系统存在这种不容忽视的缺陷，文中着重强调应设法在这方面对系统加以改进     

非中心倾听位置的立体声像分析

对非中心倾听位置的立体声像进行了理论和实验分析。结果表明,非中心倾听位置的声像定位结果和信号的频率有关。当倾听者偏离中心位置超过一定距离Xmax或信号频率超过某一上限fmax时,就有可能出现声像位置超出扬声器布置之外,从而破坏立体声的空间信息的情况。而Xmax和fmax是互成反比关系。缩小左右扬声器之间的张角或增加中置扬声器(如5.1通路系统)可扩大听音区域,提高声像的稳定性。     

一种5.1通路环绕声的动态双耳重放方法

为改善5.1通路环绕声的双耳重放性能,提出一种基于低价头踪迹跟踪模块的动态双耳重放方法。头踪迹跟踪模块通过单片机采集磁传感器、加速度传感器的输出数据,计算出倾听者头部水平方向信息,并将其经USB接口传给计算机进行动态双耳声信号合成。心理声学实验表明,本文提出的方法可以消除虚拟声源前后混乱和头中定位现象,提升5.1通路环绕声双耳重放的虚拟声源定位性能。     

Effect of frequency bandwidth on interaural cross-correlation in relation to sound image width of reproduced sounds of a violin

This article discusses the effect of frequency bandwidth on the maximum absolute value of interaural cross-correlation coefficient (IACC) in relation to sound image width (also known as auditory source width, ASW). Subjective experiments concerning sound image width were performed using reproduced sounds of a violin. This article shows that separation into 1/24 and more octave bands and averaging IACC values of these frequency bands leads to a higher correlation to sound image width than IACC in broader frequency bands. Moreover the average of 1/n octave bands of the temporal deviation of interaural time differences and interaural level differences could be confirmed as measures correlating with sound image width.     

The relationship between the cross-correlation coefficient of two-channel acoustic signals and sound image quality

In order to investigate sound image quality, white and bandlimited noises with various cross-correlation coefficients are reproduced from two loudspeakers placed in anechoic or echoic chambers. Subjects are asked to make similarity judgments and some subjective evaluations of pairs of the noises. The experimental data are analyzed by Kruskal's multidimensional scaling (MDS) program. The analysis of the experimental data shows the following: (1) sound image quality depends mostly on the width and the distance of the sound image, (2) the width of the sound image depends on the absolute value of the cross-correlation coefficient, (3) the distance of the sound image depends on the cross-correlation coefficient itself, (4) with respect to physical and psychological factors governing sound image quality, there is no fundamental difference between anechoic and echoic chambers.     

On the combined effects of early- and late-arriving sound on spatial impression in concert halls

This paper describes six new experiments involving subjective ratings of the listener envelopment, LEV, and the apparent source width, ASW, of simulated sound fields. Previous work has identified LEV and ASW as the principal components of spatial impression in concert halls and has shown that ASW is primarily influenced by the level of early lateral reflections and LEV by late-arriving lateral reflections. The new results in this paper show that LEV can result from nonlateral late-arriving sounds and demonstrate the conflicting effects of early- and late-arriving lateral sound on ASW and LEV when both are present, as would occur in real halls. While it is possible to create simulated sound fields with only either LEV or ASW, in typical concert halls, the balance between early- and late-arriving lateral sound will determine the relative importance of LEV and ASW. LEV and ASW are shown to be perceived when the critical components of the sound field are salient relative to other components. The results of the new subjective studies were used to estimate expected ASW and LEV in 16 halls. In these halls LEV is predicted to be the stronger component of spatial impression.     

Orthogonal acoustical factors of a sound field in a bamboo forest.

To investigate the acoustical quality of a sound field in a bamboo forest, acoustical measurements were conducted to obtain orthogonal acoustical factors of the sound field. These results are compared with previous results for a sound field in an ordinary forest [H. Sakai, S. Sato, and Y. Ando, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 104, 1491-1497 (1998)]. The IACC, which is defined as a maximum value of the normalized interaural cross-correlation function between signals at the ears, was 0.07 (4 kHz) and 0.16 (2 kHz) at positions 20 and 40 m from the source, respectively. These values are much better than those in the previously investigated forest. The measured subsequent reverberation time Tsub was up to 1.5 s in the frequency range above 1 kHz at the position 40 m from the source. For certain music sources with higher frequency components, therefore, sound fields in a bamboo forest have excellent acoustic properties.     

Effects of frequency characteristics of reverberation time on listener envelopment

Spatial impression perceived in a listening space comprises at least two components: one is auditory (apparent) source width (ASW) and the other is listener envelopment (LEV). Both ASW and LEV are affected not only by temporal but also by spatial structures of reflections. It has been clarified that ASW for symphony music is significantly affected by low-frequency components of source signals and reflections, but not by their high-frequency components. The objective of this work is to investigate whether LEV is affected by the frequency characteristics of source signals and reverberation sounds, which are known to contribute to the creation of LEV. In this study, three experiments were performed to clarify the effects of reverberation time (RT) and its frequency characteristics on LEV. In contrast to the case of ASW, the experimental results show that RTs both at high and low frequencies affect LEV.     

Study of vertical sound image control with parametric loudspeakers

A parametric loudspeaker utilizes nonlinearity of a medium and is known as a super-directive loudspeaker. In this paper, the sound localization in the vertical direction using the upper and lower parametric loudspeakers is confirmed by listening tests and physical measurements. The differences in levels between the upper and lower parametric loudspeakers are varied as a parameter. The direction of sound localization in the vertical plane can be controlled not only when the acoustical axis is set to the right ear but also when it is set to at 5 deg to the right of the right ear. The effect of the level difference between the upper and lower loudspeakers is weaker than the differences observed when using ordinary loudspeakers. We obtained interesting characteristics of the left-right sound localization in the horizontal plane with the upper and lower parametric loudspeakers in the vertical plane. It is found that by setting the parametric loudspeaker at the right ear (that is, the horizontal angle of a listener to it is only 3 deg to the right), the direction of sound localization in the horizontal plane moved approximately 10 deg to the right. Moreover, by setting the parametric loudspeaker 5 deg to the right, the direction of sound localization moves approximately 20 deg to the right. The ILD (Interaural Level Difference) using a dummy head is calculated from the measured left and right sound signals. It is determined that ILDs of the parametric loudspeaker are larger than those of the ordinary loudspeaker. A simple geometrical acoustic model is introduced and analyzed. The analysis helps to explain the measured characteristics.     

Change of acoustic characteristics caused by platform screen doors in train stations

Railway companies are encouraged to install platform screen doors (PSDs) for safety reason in Japan. The PSDs might affect train noises in stations, but the effects are not well understood. The aim of the present study is to clarify the effects of PSDs on acoustic characteristics. PSDs can be principally classified by two types, i.e., mobile full-height (MFH) and mobile half-height (MHH). Train noises were recorded in ground and underground train stations with MFH, MHH and without PSDs. The noises were evaluated by noise level, the maximum peak of the interaural cross-correlation function (IACC), and the width of the first decay (W_Φ(0)) of the autocorrelation function. Noise level emitted by trains was reduced by PSDs in both aboveground and underground stations. IACC was decreased by PSDs in both ground and underground stations, suggesting that PSDs made train noises more diffused. W_Φ(0) was decreased by PSDs in both ground and underground stations, which means that the train noises in station with PSDs have higher spectral centroid, suggesting that the PSDs blocked the lower frequency components of train noises.     

Relationships between arithmetic averages of sound pressure level calculated in octave bands and Zwicker’s loudness level

Previously it has been found through a series of psychoacoustical experiments that the arithmetic average of sound pressure level calculated in octave bands is a good estimator of loudness for various kinds of environmental noise. Remarkably, the arithmetic average of sound pressure level in octave bands from 63 Hz to 4 kHz, L_m,1/1(63-4k), strongly correlates with the loudness level specified in ISO 532B, LL(Z), as well as with loudness assessment. To investigate this relationship further, a numerical study has been carried out based on Zwicker’s loudness model. As a result, practical expressions to estimate the loudness levels of general environmental noises from the sound pressure levels in octave bands from 63 Hz or 125 Hz to 4 kHz are proposed.