Spatial Attribute Identification and Scaling by Repertory Grid Technique and other methods

Recording and reproduction systems are becoming capahave asked subjects to grade or rank relatively vague ble of increasingly greater sophistication in the way they expressions such as 'spaciousness', 'sense of space', represent the spatial features of sound. There arises a 'sound stage' or 'spatial impression', as reviewed in pressing need to develop advanced subjective testing Rumsey [1]. The need for more accurate attribtechniques to assess the performance of such systems, utes/adjectives and experimental methods becomes clear. What constitutes subjective 'quality' in spatial reproIn this paper a short review of selected methods is duction, what are the dimensions of spatial quality, and given, concentrating on the issue of attribute identificawhat factors govern listener preference for the spatial astion, generalisability and meaning in subjective analypects of reproduced sound? Can a clear link be estabses, rather than the issue of scaling itself. This is follished between subjective attributes and corresponding lowed by a description of an experiment inspired by a objective parameters governing spatial reproduction? particular method the Repertory Grid Technique in The spatial attributes of reproduced sound quality are which spatial attributes are elicited from and scaled by a essentially interpretational 'constructs' used by subjects group of subjects, based on specially created programme when describing spatial similarities and differences beitems. The method itself, how it is adapted to fit a tween sound stimuli. These relationships are likely to search for spatial attributes, analysis of the pilot experibe multidimensional. It is important to know what the ment and further work to develop the method are disconstructs are, whether there is a common set, and also cussed. to adopt meaningful and appropriate methods of scaling