Spatial Analysis and Synthesis Methods: Subjective and Objective Evaluations Using Various Microphone Arrays in the Auralization of a Critical Listening Room

Parametric sound field reproduction methods, such as the Spatial Decomposition Method (SDM) and Higher-Order Spatial Impulse Response Rendering (HO-SIRR), are widely used for the analysis and auralization of sound fields. This paper studies the performance of various sound field reproduction methods in the context of the auralization of a critical listening room, focusing on fixed head orientations. The influence on the perceived spatial and timbral fidelity of the following factors is considered: the rendering framework, direction of arrival (DOA) estimation method, microphone array structure, and use of a dedicated center reference microphone with SDM. Listening tests compare the synthesized sound fields to a reference binaural rendering condition, all for static head positions. Several acoustic parameters are measured to gain insights into objective differences between methods. All systems were distinguishable from the reference in perceptual tests. A high-quality pressure microphone improves the SDM framework's timbral fidelity, and spatial fidelity in certain scenarios. Additionally, SDM and HO-SIRR show similarities in spatial fidelity. Performance variation between SDM configurations is influenced by the DOA estimation method and microphone array construction. The binaural SDM (BSDM) presentations display temporal artifacts impacting sound quality.