Identifying Principal Attributes for Evaluating Audio Quality of Reproduction Systems With Spatially Dynamic Program Material

Despite the significant advances in spatial audio technologies, there is a lack of knowledge regarding the impact of spatially dynamic program material on known descriptive attributes of basic audio quality (BAQ). This paper presents an exploratory study that investigates the perception of sound quality in reproduced sound using spatially dynamic program material in comparison with stationary program material. Three reproduction systems (stereo, surround, and surround with height) were compared across two different spatial variations of the same complex audio scene. Using a paired comparison approach combined with the check-all-that-apply (CATA) method, differences in BAQ ratings were collected alongside attributes contributing to the decision of BAQ rating. The study reveals that audio quality and its underlying attributes are primarily impacted by differences in reproduction systems, with spatially dynamic program material showing no direct influence. However, there is slight evidence indicating that the use of spatially dynamic program material may influence the selection of attributes for comparisons of different reproduction systems, leading to less clarity in results. Furthermore, this study can serve as a practical guide as it lists attributes for various loudspeaker comparisons and contextualizes their impact on quality ratings.