EEG-Based Decoding of Sound Location: Comparing Free-Field to Headphone-Based Non-Individual HRTFs

Fuente: arXiv
Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Marggraf-Turley, Nils, Shiell, Martha, Pontoppidan, Niels, Cappotto, Drew, Picinali, Lorenzo
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866929759490932736
author Marggraf-Turley, Nils
Shiell, Martha
Pontoppidan, Niels
Cappotto, Drew
Picinali, Lorenzo
author_facet Marggraf-Turley, Nils
Shiell, Martha
Pontoppidan, Niels
Cappotto, Drew
Picinali, Lorenzo
contents Sound source localization relies on spatial cues such as interaural time differences (ITD), interaural level differences (ILD), and monaural spectral cues. Individually measured Head-Related Transfer Functions (HRTFs) facilitate precise spatial hearing but are impractical to measure, necessitating non-individual HRTFs, which may compromise localization accuracy and externalization. To further investigate this phenomenon, the neurophysiological differences between free-field and non-individual HRTF listening are explored by decoding sound locations from EEG-derived Event-Related Potentials (ERPs). Twenty-two participants localized stimuli under both conditions with EEG responses recorded and logistic regression classifiers trained to distinguish sound source locations. Lower cortical response amplitudes were observed for KEMAR compared to free-field, especially in front-central and occipital-parietal regions. ANOVA identified significant main effects of auralization condition (F(1, 21) = 34.56, p < 0.0001) and location (F(3, 63) = 18.17, p < 0.0001) on decoding accuracy (DA), which was higher in free-field and interaural-cue-dominated locations. DA negatively correlated with front-back confusion rates (r = -0.57, p < 0.01), linking neural DA to perceptual confusion. These findings demonstrate that headphone-based non-individual HRTFs elicit lower amplitude cortical responses to static, azimuthally-varying locations than free-field conditions. The correlation between EEG-based DA and front-back confusion underscores neurophysiological markers' potential for assessing spatial auditory discrimination.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2503_10783
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle EEG-Based Decoding of Sound Location: Comparing Free-Field to Headphone-Based Non-Individual HRTFs
Marggraf-Turley, Nils
Shiell, Martha
Pontoppidan, Niels
Cappotto, Drew
Picinali, Lorenzo
Audio and Speech Processing
Sound source localization relies on spatial cues such as interaural time differences (ITD), interaural level differences (ILD), and monaural spectral cues. Individually measured Head-Related Transfer Functions (HRTFs) facilitate precise spatial hearing but are impractical to measure, necessitating non-individual HRTFs, which may compromise localization accuracy and externalization. To further investigate this phenomenon, the neurophysiological differences between free-field and non-individual HRTF listening are explored by decoding sound locations from EEG-derived Event-Related Potentials (ERPs). Twenty-two participants localized stimuli under both conditions with EEG responses recorded and logistic regression classifiers trained to distinguish sound source locations. Lower cortical response amplitudes were observed for KEMAR compared to free-field, especially in front-central and occipital-parietal regions. ANOVA identified significant main effects of auralization condition (F(1, 21) = 34.56, p < 0.0001) and location (F(3, 63) = 18.17, p < 0.0001) on decoding accuracy (DA), which was higher in free-field and interaural-cue-dominated locations. DA negatively correlated with front-back confusion rates (r = -0.57, p < 0.01), linking neural DA to perceptual confusion. These findings demonstrate that headphone-based non-individual HRTFs elicit lower amplitude cortical responses to static, azimuthally-varying locations than free-field conditions. The correlation between EEG-based DA and front-back confusion underscores neurophysiological markers' potential for assessing spatial auditory discrimination.
title EEG-Based Decoding of Sound Location: Comparing Free-Field to Headphone-Based Non-Individual HRTFs
topic Audio and Speech Processing
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.10783