A listening test system for automotive audio: Part 1: System description

This paper describes a system for simulating automotive audio through headphones for the purposes of conducting listening experiments in the laboratory. The system is based on binaural technology and consists of a component for reproducing the sound of the audio system itself and a component for reproducing the background noise in the cabin. The former is implemented by measuring binaural room impulse responses (with a head-and-torso-simulator equipped with a computer-controlled rotating head) and employing them in binaural synthesis. The latter is implemented by recording the cabin noise (with the artificial head rotated to various positions) and reproducing the recordings through headphones. During playback the listener's head is tracked and both the binaural synthesis and binaural recordings are updated accordingly in real time.