TY - JOUR

T1 - The Headphone and Loudspeaker Test

T2 - Part I: Suggestions for controlling characteristics of playback devices in internet experiments

AU - Wycisk, Yves

AU - Kopiez, Reinhard

AU - Bergner, Jakob

AU - Sander, Kilian

AU - Preihs, Stephan

AU - Peissig, Jürgen

AU - Platz, Friedrich

N1 - Funding Information: Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL. This interdisciplinary research project is supported by a grant from “Niedersächsisches Vorab,” a joint program funded by the Volkswagen Foundation in conjunction with the Lower Saxony Ministry for Science and Culture (funding reference: ZN3497).

PY - 2023/4

Y1 - 2023/4

N2 - In internet experiments on auditory perception, playback devices may be a confounding variable reducing internal validity. A procedure to remotely test multiple characteristics of playback devices does not currently exist. Thus, the main goals of this study were to (i) develop and (ii) evaluate a comprehensive, efficient, and easy-to-handle test procedure for the reliable control and identification of playback device characteristics in online experiments. Based on a counting task paradigm, the first part of the Headphone and Loudspeaker Test (HALT–Part I) was developed with which researchers can standardize sound level adjustments, detect stereo/mono playback, and assess lower frequency limits. In a laboratory study (N = 40), HALT–Part I was evaluated with four playback devices (circumaural and intra-aural headphones; external and laptop loudspeakers). Beforehand, the acoustical properties of all playback devices had been measured (e.g., sound pressure level, frequency response, total harmonic distortion). The analysis suggested that HALT–Part I has high test–retest reliability (rtt =.90 for level adjustment and rtt =.79 for stereo/mono detection) and is an efficient (3.5 minutes for completion) method to remotely test playback devices and listening conditions (sound level, stereo/mono playback). The procedure can help improve data quality in internet experiments.

AB - In internet experiments on auditory perception, playback devices may be a confounding variable reducing internal validity. A procedure to remotely test multiple characteristics of playback devices does not currently exist. Thus, the main goals of this study were to (i) develop and (ii) evaluate a comprehensive, efficient, and easy-to-handle test procedure for the reliable control and identification of playback device characteristics in online experiments. Based on a counting task paradigm, the first part of the Headphone and Loudspeaker Test (HALT–Part I) was developed with which researchers can standardize sound level adjustments, detect stereo/mono playback, and assess lower frequency limits. In a laboratory study (N = 40), HALT–Part I was evaluated with four playback devices (circumaural and intra-aural headphones; external and laptop loudspeakers). Beforehand, the acoustical properties of all playback devices had been measured (e.g., sound pressure level, frequency response, total harmonic distortion). The analysis suggested that HALT–Part I has high test–retest reliability (rtt =.90 for level adjustment and rtt =.79 for stereo/mono detection) and is an efficient (3.5 minutes for completion) method to remotely test playback devices and listening conditions (sound level, stereo/mono playback). The procedure can help improve data quality in internet experiments.

KW - Confounding variables

KW - Control variables

KW - Internet experiment

KW - Level adjustment

KW - Mono/stereo playback

KW - Playback characteristics

KW - Remote testing

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85130503945&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.3758/s13428-022-01859-8

DO - 10.3758/s13428-022-01859-8

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85130503945

VL - 55

SP - 1094

EP - 1107

JO - Behavior research methods

JF - Behavior research methods

SN - 1554-351X

IS - 3

ER -