Geometrical acoustics has been widely used to simulate sound propagation in various environments because it has a lower computational cost than wave-based numerical simulations. An acoustic radiosity model (Sparrowpy) with a tabulated BRDF extension, which discretises reflections into finite cones based on random incidence or bidirectional scattering coefficients, is compared to an alternative ARE-based implementation […]

The primary objective of this thesis was to model primary school classroom noises in acoustic virtual reality of the three activity-based acoustic situations (ABAS): silent work, group work, and classroom break. In a subsequent step, the objective was to evaluate how close these noises resemble real-life primary school classroom soundscapes. Currently, there is no freely […]

The occlusion effect (OE) describes the increased perception of body internal sound such as one’s own voice when the ear canal is blocked. This phenomenon often leads to discomfort with hearing aids or hearing protection devices. There are two common approaches for the assessment of the OE. The objective OE which is based on ear […]

Traffic noise in urban environments constitutes a significant health hazard, creating potential for proactive noise management and auralization as tool for modern urban planning. However, state-of-the-art raybased Geometrical Acoustics (GA) models utilized in current auralization pipelines struggle to predict the sound propagation across grounds featuring varying acoustic properties, known as Impedance Discontinuity (ID). Relying just […]

Traffic noise is an important public health issue and factor of annoyance. Auralization enables its perceptual evaluation in virtual environments. In outdoor sound propagation simulations, however, geometric modeling often focuses on large-scale features, while smaller roadside structures are neglected or simplified. For vehicle noise sources located close to the ground, roadside structures of similar height […]

Accurate determination of acoustic ground impedance is essential for predicting sound propagation over outdoor surfaces. However, the measurement process is affected by uncertainties arising from the experimental setup, particularly from variations in source and receiver positioning. The objective of this thesis is to investigate how geometric uncertainties propagate through impedance measurement procedures and influence the […]

Audiovisuelle Sprache verbessert im Allgemeinen, aber insbesondere unter ungünstigen Hörbedingungen, die Sprachverständlichkeit, indem sie ergänzende visuelle Informationen liefert. Es bleibt jedoch unklar, ob sich diese Wahrnehmungsvorteile auch in einer verbesserten Arbeitsgedächtnisleistung niederschlagen oder ob die Integration von auditiver und visueller Sprache zusätzliche kognitive Kosten mit sich bringt. Bisherige Studien konnten die potenziellen Integrationskosten nicht ermitteln, […]

Listening under challenging conditions can be effortful and requires considerable cognitive resources. This is particularly relevant for children, for whom speech understanding is integral for learning and development. The Framework for Understanding Effortful Listening (FUEL) suggests that invested listening effort does not increase indefinitely with task demands, as motivation is an important factor in determining […]