Investigating room-induced influences on immersive experience, Part II: Effects associated with listener groups and musical excerpts

The authors previously compared four distinct multi-channel playback rooms and showed that perceived spatial attributes of program material (width, depth, and envelopment) were similar across all four rooms when reproduced through a 22-channel loudspeaker array. The present study further investigated perceived auditory immersion from two additional variables: listener group and musical style. We found a three-way interaction of variables, MUSIC x (playback) ROOM x GROUP for 22-channel reproduced music. The interaction between musical material and playback room acoustics differentiates perceived auditory immersion across listener groups. However, in the 2-channel reproductions, the room and music interaction is prominent enough to flatten inter-group differences. The 22-channel reproduced sound fields may have shaped idiosyncratic cognitive bases for each listener group.