Headphone Selection for Binaural Synthesis with Blocked Auditory Canal Recording

Binaural synthesis aims at eliciting the reference scene hearing sensations by recreating the sound pressures at the eardrums, typically using headphones. If all transfer functions involved are approximated based on eardrum probe microphone or traditional artificial head measurements, the headphones have been shown not to influence the synthesis. It is also possible to achieve correct binaural synthesis with transfer functions measured at the entrances to the blocked auditory canals. Then, the headphones may influence the results. In this paper, a blocked auditory canal headphone selection criterion (HPSC) for binaural synthesis is proposed. Further, a procedure is derived, which allows to evaluate the HPSC for specific circum-aural headphones based on four measurements using a specifically designed artificial head.