Spatial perception in binaural reproduction with sparse head-related transfer function measurement grids

Growing interest in virtual reality has led to greater demand for immersive virtual audio systems. High fidelity spatial audio requires individualized head related transfer functions (HRTFs). Individualized HRTFs are, however, typically unavailable as they require specialized equipment and a large number of measurements. This motivates the development of a simpler more accessible HRTF estimation process. Previous work has demonstrated that spherical-harmonics (SH) can be used to reconstruct the HRTF from a smaller number of sample points, but this method has two known types of error: spatial aliasing and truncation error. Aliasing refer to loss of ability to represent high frequencies. Truncation error refer to the fact the SH representation will be order-limited which further limits spatial resolution. In this paper, the effect of sparse measurement grids on the reproduced binaural signal is studied by analyzing both types of errors. The expected effect of these errors on the perceived location, external...