Speaker: Milind N. Kunchur, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of South Carolina
Abstract: Experiments were conducted to assess the bandwidth and temporal resolution of human hearing using special ultrahigh-fidelity equipment. The experiments demonstrated discernment at a ~5 microsecond timescale, which is much shorter than found previously and falls below the nominal 9 microseconds (=1/[2 pi 18kHz]) threshold expected for a linear system. Analysis of the stimuli suggests that the discernment does not arise solely from direct spectral-amplitude differences but may involve additional non-linear and/or temporal mechanisms. Possible mechanisms, which are quantitatively consistent with the findings, are discussed. The present work also shows that typical instrumentation used in psychoacoustic research has insufficient temporal speed and fidelity for properly assessing all aspects of human hearing and that digital sampling rates used in consumer audio are insufficient for fully preserving transparency. [This work was partially supported by the University of South Carolina Office of Research and Health Sciences Research Funding Program.]