Individual differences of subjective preference for sound fields with a different preferred delay time of reflection

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to clarify the relationship between the individual preferred delay time of reflection and the effective duration of the autocorrelation function (ACF) of sound source. Subjective preference tests were conducted by varying the delay time of reflection (Δt1) which is one of the four objective parameters related to subjective preference of sound fields. In this paper, five dry sources of instrumental music with different effective duration are used. In addition to the global preference with a number of subjects, individual-preference-scale values also were obtained by the method of paired-comparison tests. An attempt is made here whether or not individual differences in subjective preference may be explained by the categorical classification of musical experience, sex, and age of subjects.