Determining and Labeling the Preference Dimensions of Spatial Audio Replay

There are many spatial audio reproduction systems currently in domestic use (e.g. mono, stereo, surround sound, sound bars, and headphones). In an experiment, pairwise pref-erence magnitude ratings for a range of such systems were collected from trained and untrained listeners. The ratings were analysed using internal preference mapping to: (i) uncover the principal perceptual dimensions of listener preference; (ii) label the dimensions based on the important perceptual attributes; and (iii) observe differences between trained and untrained listeners. To aid with labelling the dimensions, perceptual attributes were elicited alongside the preference ratings and were analysed by: (i) considering a metric derived from the frequency of use of each attribute and the magnitude of the related preference judgements; and (ii) observing attribute use for comparisons between specific methods. The first preference dimension accounted for the vast majority of the variance in ratings; it was related to multiple important attributes, including those associated with spatial capability and freedom from distortion. All participants exhibited a preference for reproduction methods that were positively correlated with the first dimension (most notably 5-, 9-, and 22-channel surround sound). The second dimension accounted for only a very small proportion of the variance, and appeared to separate the headphone method from the other methods. The trained and untrained listeners generally showed opposite preferences in the second dimension, suggesting that trained listeners have a higher preference for headphone reproduction than untrained listeners