Sound localization under conditions of covered ears on the horizontal plane

In this paper, we examine how covering one or both external ears affects sound localization on the horizontal plane. In our experiments, we covered subjects’ pinnae and external auditory canals with headphones, earphones, and earplugs, and conducted sound localization tests. Stimuli were presented from 12 different directions, and 12 subjects participated in the sound localization tests. The results indicate that covering one or both ears decreased their sound localization performance. Front-back confusion rates increased, particularly when covering both outer ears with open-air headphones or covering one ear with an intraconcha-type earphone or an earplug. Furthermore, incorrect answer rates were high when the sound source and the occluded ear that had an intraconcha-type earphone or an earplug were on the same side. We consider that the factors that cause poor performance can be clarified by comparing these results with characteristics of head-related transfer function.