Loudspeaker Equalization for a Moving Listener

Abstract

When a person listens to loudspeakers, the perceived sound is affected not only by the loudspeaker properties but also by the acoustics of the surroundings. Loudspeaker equalization can be used to correct the loudspeaker-room response. However, when the listener moves in front of the loudspeakers, both the loudspeaker response and room effect change. In order for the best correction to be achieved at all times, adaptive equalization is proposed in this paper. A loudspeaker-correction system using the listener’s current location to determine the correction parameters is proposed. The position of the listener’s head is located using a depth- sensing camera, and suitable equalizer settings are then selected based on measurements and interpolation.Aftercorrectingfortheloudspeaker’sresponseatmultiplelocationsandchangingtheequalizationinrealtimebasedontheuser’slocation,aloudspeakerresponsewithreducedcolorationisachievedcomparedtonocalibrationorconventionalcalibrationmethods,withthemagnitude-responsedeviationsdecreasingfrom10.0to5.6dBwithinthepassbandofahigh-qualityloudspeaker.Theproposedmethodcanimprovetheaudiomonitoringinmusicstudiosandotheroccasionsinwhichasinglelistenerismovinginarestrictedspace.