Evaluation of Binaural Renderers for the Immersive Audio Model and Formats (Eclipsa Audio)

Project Profile

Project Description

The demand for immersive audio experiences has surged with the proliferation of virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), gaming applications [1] and streaming services for film and television. In all of these contexts, binaural rendering plays a crucial role in creating plausible (realistic or hyper-real) spatial audio environments through headphones as well as 3D soundbars using cross-talk cancellation. The Alliance of Open Media‘s Eclipsa Audio, or Immersive Audio Model and Formats (IAMF)[2] specification provides a standardized framework for delivering immersive audio content across different platforms and devices, ensuring interoperability and high-quality audio reproduction. As part of the specification, a defined binaural renderer is desirable to ensure consistent binaural delivery via headphones and soundbars [3]. This project therefore undertakes evaluation of the current IAMF reference renderer – Open Binaural Renderer (OBR) [4] in comparison to leading binaural renderers. 

Both objective metrics (Interaural Time and Level Difference, Direct-to-Reverberant Ratio, Reverberation Time, Interaural Coherence, Interaural Cross-Correlation) and listening tests focusing on global (Overall Listening Experience) and parametric (spatial and timbral fidelity) attributes are performed to assess the compatibility, quality and performance of leading binaural renderers, both open and proprietary, in comparison to the OBR for different listening contexts [5].

References

[1] Olivieri, F., Peters, N., & Sen, D. (2019). Scene-based audio and higher order ambisonics: A technology overview and application to next-generation audio, vr and 360 video. EBU Tech.
[2] https://aomedia.org/specifications/iamf/, accessed 2025-06-26
[3]  Rudzki, T. (2023). Improvements in the Perceived Quality of Streaming and Binaural Rendering of Ambisonics (Doctoral dissertation, University of York).
[4] Rudzki, T, Kearney G, and Skoglund J. “On the Design of the Binaural Rendering Library for Eclipsa Audio Immersive Audio Container”, 158th Convention of the Audio Engineering Society,
[5] Armstrong, Cal, et al. “A perceptual evaluation of individual and non-individual HRTFs: A case study of the SADIE II database.” Applied Sciences 8.11 (2018): 2029.