Shifts in the judgement of distance to a sound source in the presence of a sonic crystal

SPIOUSAS, IGNACIO; ETCHEMENDY, PABLO ESTEBAN; CALCAGNO, ESTEBAN RAMÓN; EGUÍA, MANUEL CAMILO

Montreal

Congreso; 21st International Congress on Acoustics; 2013

Acoustical Society of America (ASA); Canadian Acoustical Association (CAA)

The ability of subjects to estimate the distance to a sound source in a room relies on the integration of a number of different cues: sound intensity level, direct-to-reverberant energy ratio, spectral content and binaural cues, among others. This work examines how the perception of auditory distance is modified for a particular sound field: the transmitted field of an acoustic source through a sonic crystal slab in a semi-reverberant room. A series of experiments were performed comparing the egocentric distance to a sound source passing and not passing through the sonic crystal, using an acoustical virtual environment whereby some of the auditory distance cues could be manipulated. The results obtained show that the presence of the sonic crystal introduces significant shifts on the auditory distance perception. These shifts are correlated with the spatial and spectral variation of the acoustical properties of the sonic crystal. Also, it was possible to determine the relative influence of the manipulated cues (intensity, direct-to-reverberant energy ratio and binaural cues).