Effect of Acoustic Congruency in Binaural Audio on the Film-Viewing Experience

Binaural audio provides an accessible alternative to multi-loudspeaker reproduction. However, However, binaural reproduction often involves a mismatch between the acoustics of the simulated virtual room and the listener’s physical environment, which can compromise auditory distance perception and plausibility, a phenomenon known as the room divergence effect. This study investigated whether such mismatch influences immersive experience during film viewing and which auditory perceptual factors are associated with immersion. Sixty-eight participants watched an excerpt from Dune: Part One (2021) using binaurally rendered multichannel audio under acoustically convergent and divergent conditions in a critical listening room and a domestic living room. Immersion was assessed using the Film Immersive Experience Questionnaire alongside an exploratory Binaural Audio Experience Questionnaire. Although room divergence produced perceptually salient differences, it did not significantly affect overall immersive experience. However, specific immersion dimensions, particularly Transportation, were more closely associated with localization and listener envelopment than with auditory distance and externalization.