CHALLENGES IN THE SUBJECTIVE EVALUATION OF SPATIAL AUDIO IN AUTOMOTIVE ENVIRONMENTS

Developments in spatial audio technologies have resulted in the recent adoption of a number of such spatial reproduction formats in many automotive audio systems. Consequently, this increasing adoption lead to an equally increased requirement for subjective evaluation of spatial audio in vehicle cabins. Traditionally, subjective evaluation of spatial audio reproduction systems is conducted in listening rooms which follow a specific standard and use loudspeakers which are evenly spaced from the listener. On the other hand, conducting a listening test in a vehicle cabin may present specific challenges, both acoustically and logistically; From controlling the loudspeakers and taking accurate measurements, to ensuring the comfort of the subjects. This paper will explore the different challenges observed whilst conducting a subjective listening test and propose several measures to overcome them.