Analysis of factors impacting 3D auditory localization accuracy and response time in headphone reproduction

This paper investigates the effects of three factors, i.e. reproduction mode (dynamic/static), head-related transfer function (HRTF) type (individual/non-individual HRTF), and participant type (experienced/inexperienced listeners), on the localization accuracy and response time in three-dimensional auditory display based on the HRTF. Experimental results demonstrate the significant influence of the reproduction mode on auditory localization, with dynamic reproduction outperforming static reproduction. This finding holds true for both experienced and inexperienced participants. Moreover, the HRTF type exhibits a substantial impact on auditory localization, with personalized HRTF yielding superior results compared to non-personalized HRTF. Participants with listening experience perform better when using personalized HRTF compared to those without experience. Additionally, participants with listening experience exhibit shorter response times for localization across all experimental conditions. These findings provide valuable insights for the practical application of three-dimensional auditory displays.