Acoustical interference dips cannot serve as reliable elevation cues

Evidence

Vertical localization “blur” (uncertainty) is about 17° for an unfamiliar voice, about 9° for a familiar voice and 4° for white noise (Blauert, 1996). If we have no idea of the spectral content of a specific sound, there is no assurance that we would automatically perceive it at its true elevation. … We rely greatly on “plausibility” when localizing in complex situations. Aircraft are automatically assumed to be above us. Nothing is localized below the floor. Voices are where the lips are on the screen—the ventriloquism effect. If listeners are predisposed to think that sounds are coming from above, that is what they are likely to perceive; hence the emphasis on hovering helicopters and bird sounds in demonstrations of immersive sound systems. — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 1762 (#expands, via linked claim)

Rooms produce a complex acoustic field that consists of a direct path of sound from the source to the ear and multiple reflected paths because sound is reflected from surfaces and objects. These multiple sound paths produce a great deal of noise in the acoustic signal, yet we normally do not notice these sound reflections nor do they drastically affect our judgments of sound location. Wallach, Newman, and Rosenzweig (1949), who coined the term the precedence effect, demonstrated that sound localization is based on the acoustic cues associated with the sound that arrives first at the ears. That the reflections do not alter the perceived sound location of the source implies that the first arriving sound takes precedence over the reflections of that sound in determining its location. — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 1564 (#contradicts, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Elevation localization is a timbral recognition task driven by resonant peaks — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 744; Sound localization by elevation is guided by plausibility, not just acoustics — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 1762; Basic binaural cues cannot fully explain front-back and elevation judgments (+3 more)

Related

• Sound localization by elevation is guided by plausibility, not just acoustics (similarity 0.93)
• Plausibility and expectation drive perceived vertical localization more than physical cues (similarity 0.92)
• Horizontal-plane localization is mature while elevation reproduction is newly addressed (similarity 0.90)
• Virtual source elevation perception is personal but azimuth is predictable (similarity 0.89)
• Elevation localization is a timbral recognition task driven by resonant peaks (similarity 0.87)
• Elevation localization rests on spectral recognition of familiar sounds, not spatial cues. (similarity 0.87)
• Ear localizes to first-arriving sound unless delayed signal exceeds 12 dB louder (similarity 0.84)
• The first arriving sound wave dominates perceived localization regardless of level (similarity 0.84)
• Listener expectations, not acoustic cues alone, drive perceived spatial location. (similarity 0.82)
• Horizontal localization uses binaural cues while vertical localization does not (similarity 0.82)
• First-arriving direct sound dominates localization and loudspeaker images are built from mono and double-mono (similarity 0.81)
• Earliest arriving sound dominates localization despite later room reflections (similarity 0.81)
• Sound is localized to the first arriving acoustic source despite delayed reinforcement (similarity 0.80)
• Direct sound determines localization, loudness, and perceived spectrum quality (similarity 0.80)
• Mixing intensity and delay stereo cues produces spurious cues that confuse the ear (similarity 0.80)

Broader Connections

• Sound localization by elevation is guided by plausibility, not just acoustics #expands (0.85) — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 1762
• Basic binaural cues cannot fully explain front-back and elevation judgments #expands (0.80)
• The first arriving sound wave dominates perceived localization regardless of level #contradicts (0.75) — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 1564
• Masking noise prevents listeners from using unintended spectral cues #qualifies (0.72)
• Mixing intensity and delay stereo cues produces spurious cues that confuse the ear #qualifies (0.72)