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arXiv · 2507.20027

Binaural Localization Model for Speech in Noise

Vikas Tokala·Eric Grinstein·Rory Brooks·Mike Brookes·Simon Doclo·Jesper Jensen·Patrick A. Naylor
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Abstract

Binaural acoustic source localization is important to human listeners for spatial awareness, communication and safety. In this paper, an end-to-end binaural localization model for speech in noise is presented. A lightweight convolutional recurrent network that localizes sound in the frontal azimuthal plane for noisy reverberant binaural signals is introduced. The model incorporates additive internal ear noise to represent the frequency-dependent hearing threshold of a typical listener. The localization performance of the model is compared with the steered response power algorithm, and the use of the model as a measure of interaural cue preservation for binaural speech enhancement methods is studied. A listening test was performed to compare the performance of the model with human localization of speech in noisy conditions.

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BibTeXRIS

Vikas Tokala, Eric Grinstein, Rory Brooks, Mike Brookes, Simon Doclo, Jesper Jensen, Patrick A. Naylor. 2025-07-26. Binaural Localization Model for Speech in Noise. https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.20027

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