Directional Bias Equalization of First-Order Binaural Ambisonic Rendering

The human auditory system is more accurate at localising sounds in front than at lateral, rear and elevated directions. In virtual reality applications, where Ambisonic audio is presented to the user binaurally (over headphones) in conjunction with a head-mounted display, it is imperative that audio in the frontal direction is as accurate as possible. This paper presents a method for improving frontal high frequency reproduction of binaural Ambisonic rendering through a novel adaptation of the diffuse-field equalisation technique to exploit the non-uniform directional
sensitivity of human hearing. The method is evaluated via spectral difference and a height localisation model, and results show improved frontal reproduction at the expense of lateral fidelity