Visual-vestibular room matching is required for binaural externalization to persist

Evidence

In the 1970s Sennheiser had a simple mass-market binaural microphone product, positioning small microphone capsules just outside the ears, but not in them. The encoded HRTFs had large errors. The headphones in use were of questionable performance, so the HRTFs were further degraded. Recordings made in one venue and played back in a different one were entertaining but not convincing. In-head localization was the norm. However, out of interest, I sat in my stereo seat wearing the binaural microphone and made a recording of my stereo system playing. I then put on headphones, sat in the same stereo seat and played the binaural recording. It was uncanny. The beginning of the tape presented the household background noises as they were before putting the headphones on. It was as though nothing had changed. When the music began it was convincingly externalized—remarkable. The acoustical and visual contexts matched. Rotating the head destroyed the effect. — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 296 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Head-tracking binaural convolution yields convincing externalized spatial audio; Matching acoustical and visual context yields convincing binaural externalization — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 296; Head-motion-dependent sound changes are required for external sound localization (+2 more)

Related

• Head-tracking binaural convolution yields convincing externalized spatial audio (similarity 0.95)
• Matching acoustical and visual context yields convincing binaural externalization (similarity 0.95)
• Head-motion-dependent sound changes are required for external sound localization (similarity 0.90)
• Dynamic head tracking restores externalized sound localization in binaural reproduction. (similarity 0.90)
• Head related transfer functions anchor sounds to visual cues in VR (similarity 0.89)
• VR with synchronized binaural audio can deliver presence for live events (similarity 0.88)
• Binaural audio without visuals and head tracking stays internalized in the head (similarity 0.88)
• Lack of head-tracking dynamic cues causes headphone audio to sound internalized (similarity 0.88)
• Head movement resolves directional ambiguity and explains headphone sounds seeming internal (similarity 0.87)
• Head-tracking with measured impulse responses strongly improves sound externalization (similarity 0.87)
• Headphones sound ‘in the head’ because they fail to model head movement cues (similarity 0.86)
• Headphone sounds are usually lateralized inside the head. (similarity 0.86)
• Headphone audio internalizes because static binaural cues signal an inside-the-head source (similarity 0.85)
• Early binaural headphone studies localized sounds inside the head rather than externally. (similarity 0.84)
• Binaural recordings capture natural direction cues only when ears match the listener (similarity 0.84)

Broader Connections

• Matching acoustical and visual context yields convincing binaural externalization #corroborates (0.92) — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 296
• Static binaural images sound inside the head until head movement is tracked #corroborates (0.78)
• Head-motion-dependent sound changes are required for external sound localization #expands (0.72)