Influence of sound spatial reproduction method on the detectability of reversing alarms in laboratory conditions

This paper investigates the ability of binaural recording and reproduction to be used for measuring the detectability of reversing alarms in laboratory experiments. A complex and repeatible scenario was created using a wave-field synthesis system (WFS), and in-situ recordings in a lime mine. The reproduced sound field was further recorded with a dummy-head. Participants were asked to achieve a visual task (target tracking) while detecting two types of reversing alarms (tonal and broadband), mimicking an approaching vehicle. The experiment was conducted twice : at the center of a WFS array and in a sound-proof booth, using binaural recordings presented with headphones. Results showed that the detection times measured using binaural listening were significantly different from those measured in a fully immersive sound field reproduction. These differences were also greater with tonal sounds compared to broadband sounds. This study shows the limitations of the binaural technique to be used for such applications.