A grounded study in user preference for immersive sound in extended reality environments

Spatialized sound is crucial for immersive and extended reality experiences. We conducted a user study comparing the built-in audio of a commercially available VR headset with a physical loudspeaker dispersion systems. Our study demonstrates participants have a greater sense of immersion, realism, and localization phenomena when experiencing the physical loudspeaker dispersion over the built in headset. A subsequent preference test and qualitative feedback revealed a strong trend favoring the both high-end and entry-level loudspeaker systems. This work provides valuable insights for designing more immersive extended reality experiences.