Listening experiments
Welcome to our listening experiments, where the world of sound comes to life!
In carefully designed experiments, we delve into the many facets of auditory and cognitive perception, as well as technical acoustics. In various scenarios, participants are placed in virtual (acoustic) environments in which the boundaries of reality are blurred, offering a unique perspective on auditory phenomena.
A cornerstone of our listening experiments is binaural synthesis, a technique that reconstructs spatial (3D) audio signals via headphones to immerse participants in an impressive virtual auditory world. This method allows us to gain valuable insights into the way we process and localize acoustic stimuli.
We are always looking for curious individuals who want to help us advance acoustic research. Whether you have a keen interest in acoustics in general or want to gain new experiences, we invite you to join us on this journey. Sign up for one of our current listening experiments or be informed directly via our email distribution list about new, exciting listening experiments.
Current listening tests
Stay updated by subscribing to our expert listener mailing list. Participation is open to all, with no prior experience needed.
(Image: TH Köln)
Virtual Loudspeakers with Individual Measurements
Using advanced binaural auralization, it is possible to create virtual copies of real loudspeakers. Only headphones are then needed to reproduce one or more virtual speakers as if they were really in the room. A typical application for this would be a VR conference or a virtual Dolby Atmos home theater. With the latter in particular, however, sound sources “from above” play an important role, e.g. ceiling loudspeakers. Our hearing has developed complex techniques for this “from above” hearing in everyday life. These are therefore much more difficult to simulate in a binaural auralization.
Period: Feb 10 – Feb 21, 2025
Trial duration: 90min
Reward: 10€ voucher (cinema or MusicStore)
Further information can be found here
Impressions
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Speech intelligibility in noise (Image: TH Köln)
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Listening experiment in the anechoic chamber at the TH Köln for the plausible perception of sound sources via headphones (Image: TH Köln)
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Listening experiment in the anechoic chamber at the TH Köln for the plausible perception of sound sources via headphones (Image: TH Köln)
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Artificial head "Norbert" recording a room impulse response (Image: TH Köln)
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Comparison of a virtual (left) and real (right) test environment during a listening experiment on perception in virtual environments! (Image: TH Köln)
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Virtual test environment of a listening experiment on the perception of virtual sound sources! (Image: TH Köln)
