Article
Sound Localization Performance with and without Simulated Hearing Loss: Comparison of Different Spatial Audio Reproduction Methods (en)
* Presenting author
Abstract:
The ability to successfully localize sound sources is essential for daily life but may be adversely affected by age-related hearing loss. Simulating sensorineural hearing loss may enable researchers to conduct listening experiments with the aim of deriving insight into whether differences in performance between young, normal-hearing listeners and elderly listeners with age-related hearing loss can be attributed to sensory deficits, or rather cognitive decline. Prior studies have compared various hearing loss simulators and conducted a metrological evaluation. This contribution aims to investigate hearing loss simulation software further in regard to its effect on sound localization. In the context of a perceptive study, normal-hearing participants have their hearing abilities intentionally impaired using a simulator during the listening experiment. Localization performance of participants is measured at different degrees of simulated hearing loss. Since spatial audio reproduction methods constitute an important tool in the context of hearing research, with different methods exhibiting their own respective advantages and disadvantages, three different reproduction methods are compared in the listening experiment: direct playback through individual loudspeakers, higher order Ambisonics using a 68-channel loudspeaker array and binaural reproduction (including individual and non-individual head-related transfer functions) via headphones.