Perceptual evaluation of inter-individual differences in headphone equalization

Inter-individual differences in headphone-to-ear-canal transfer functions (HpTFs) of six human subjects are investigated by perceptually-motivated analyses and psychoacoustic experiments. Calculation results indicate that the inter-individual differences are prominent especially at high frequencies. Psychoacoustic experiments conducted with best- and worst-case demonstrate that the inter-individual differences above 5 kHz are distinguishable, confirming the necessity of incorporating individualized HpTFs into headphone equalization.