Listening test for three-dimensional audio system based on multiple vertical panning

In this paper, the novel three-dimensional (3D) audio system is proposed. The proposed system is based on Multiple Vertical Panning (MVP) method and matches to the glasses-free 3D display system in which the size of screen is very large. The vertical position of sound images is synthesized by the panning between two loudspeakers placed at the top and bottom of screen. The horizontal position of sound images is controlled by the position of two loudspeakers. By the proposed system, multiple listeners can simultaneously feel the sound images at the position of objects depicted by the 3D display system. In order to evaluate the auditory performance of the proposed system, the listening test was designed by using the loudspeaker array in which twenty-seven loudspeakers were aligned on the vertical line. Sound images were synthesized by the panning between two loudspeakers placed at the top and bottom of the loudspeaker array. Twelve subjects listened to a sound and reported the position of synthesized sound images. As a result, it was indicated that subjects could feel the synthesized sound images at the position between two loudspeakers placed at the top and bottom of the loudspeaker array.