Topic: The State of the Art of Binaural Audio for Loudspeakers and Headphones

Presenter: Prof. Edgar Choueiri, Director of Princeton University's Program in Engineering Physics, and Director of Princeton's Electric Propulsion and Plasma Dynamics Laboratory (where he works on advanced propulsion for deep space spacecraft), and the 3D Audio and Applied Acoustics (3D3A). He is the author of more than 200 scientific articles and publications and the recipient of numerous awards.

Abstract:

Humans have only two ears and therefore should need only two channels/transducers to hear recorded audio in full 3D. The binaural technique aims to deliver accurate 3D audio to a listener through a pair of headphones or a pair of loudspeakers, respectively. Prof. Choueiri will describe the challenges of binaural audio through headphones (BAH) and loudspeakers (BAL), recent solutions to these challenges, and the state of the art of processing and content and delivery development tools for each.

A main challenge for BAH is to externalize a 3D image outside the head of the listener, while a main challenge for BAL is to accurately image sound sources near the head (proximity imaging) and to do so without tonal distortion. In particular Prof. Choueiri will describe the BACCH 3D Sound technology, which relies on optimal crosstalk cancellation filters, called BACCH filters, to deliver binaural audio accurately in 3D through a pair of regular loudspeakers. Further refinement to this technology, such as the use of head tracking and automatic individualization for a particular listener and reproduction hardware will be discussed and demonstrated. Prof. Choueiri will then describe the recently developed BACCH-HP headphones technology, which allows 100% of listeners to perceive binaural audio as a well externalized 3D image outside, and far from, their heads, as opposed to the roughly 30% success rate of externalizing regular binaural audio through headphones.

Prof. Choueiri will use the powerful BACCH-dSP software, which allows designing various BACCH filters for BAL and BAH, processing binaural audio, translational and rotational head tracking, and 3D mixing, to illustrate the talk and demonstrate the technologies.

Prof. Edgar Choueiri is professor of Applied Physics at Princeton University

AES NY SECTION MARCH 2017 MEETING: The State of the Art of Binaural Audio