Assessment of spherical microphone array auralizations using open-profiling of quality (OPQ)

Open-profiling of quality (OPQ) was recently proposed for quality assessment of mobile 3D devices. It combines quantitative and qualitative analyses in a mixed-method approach, allowing statements on overall quality and its relation to specific sensory aspects of the reproduction. In the scope of this article, the applicability of OPQ is investigated and discussed when assessing the reproduction quality of virtual acoustic environments (VAEs). Based on binaural auralizations of real spherical microphone array recordings, the influence of the used array configuration is analyzed for different test stimuli and the results compared to ideal free-field simulations. Despite certain limitations, results show that OPQ is suitable for quality evaluations of VAEs as it provides detailed insight into perceptual aspects of the technical system, directly establishing their relation to overall preference.