Phase randomization - A new paradigm for single-channel signal enhancement

This paper proposes a new paradigm with phase randomization for single-channel signal enhancement. In contrast to literatures which pursue better target signal quality, the new method tries to minimize artifacts in the residual noise. Applications of signal enhancement are revisited to highlight today´s examples where environmental signal is often considered as a part of target and SNR may take a negative value. A signal example demonstrates that conventional signal enhancement with magnitude-only modification is insufficient from both objective and subjective points of view. A new framework with phase randomization as well as a specific algorithm is developed. Enhanced signals show that phase randomization is an integral component for sufficient enhancement. A subjective evaluation result demonstrates that the new paradigm with phase randomization is superior to the magnitude-only enhancement with statistically significant differences.