Wave Field Synthesis - A Promising Spatial Audio Rendering Concept

Modern convolution technologies offer possibilities to overcome principle shortcomings of loudspeaker stereophony by exploiting the Wave Field Synthesis (WFS) concept for rendering virtual spatial characteristics of sound events. Based on the Huygens principle loudspeaker arrays reproduce a synthetic sound field around the listener, whereby the dry audio signal is combined with measured or modelled information about the room and the source’s position to enable the accurate reproduction of the source within its acoustical environment. However, theoretical and practical constraints of WFS systems limit the rendering accurateness and the perceived spatial audio quality to a certain degree, dependent on characteristic features and technical parameters of the sound field synthesis. Nevertheless recent developments have already shown that a number of applications could be possible in the near future. An attractive example is the synthesis of WFS and stereophony offering enhanced freedom in sound design as well as improved quality and more flexibility in practical playback situations for multichannel sound mixes. Furthermore, a novel application called “Binaural Sky ” combines wave field synthesis and binaural techniques. Focused sources are rendered close at listener’s ears by means of headtracking and a WFS-array above the listener, forming a virtual headphone. As a result, binaural (e.g. BRS) reproduction can be enjoyed without wearing a headphone and without any loudspeakers in the listener's field of vision