On the Perceptually Acceptable Noise Level in Binaural Room Impulse Responses - Accompanying Dataset

The practical measurement of binaural room impulse responses (BRIRs) is impaired by equipment and background noise. The noise level in the BRIR depends amongst others on the duration of the excitation signal. With the increasing use of fast measurement techniques, e.g. for the measurement of individual BRIRs, the question arises which level of noise is perceptually acceptable. This paper presents a perceptual study on the threshold of detecting noise in BRIRs. As reference, a set of BRIRs is measured resulting in a high peak-to-noise ratio (PNR) by long-term averaging. In order to generate the stimuli, these BRIRs are impaired by additive white Gaussian noise of different levels. The BRIRs are convolved with a speech stimulus and presented in a 3AFC listening test with a 2Up-1Down rule to the subjects. The results of perceptual experiment are statistically analysed and discussed.