Inverse filter design for crosstalk cancellation in portable devices with stereo loudspeakers

To reproduce binaural sound at a listener's ears using stereo loudspeakers in a portable device environment, it is important to design inverse filters that cancel out acoustical crosstalk signals. However, the direct and the crosstalk paths of a head-related transfer function are similar at certain frequencies, resulting in an excessive boost at those frequencies when inverse filters are designed. To mitigate this problem, a cross-talk cancellation filter design method is proposed which allows for the selective attenuation of unwanted peaks in the spectrum by constraining the magnitude of the difference between the direct and crosstalk paths. The performance of the proposed method is then evaluated by means of subjective source localization and objective tests. It is shown from the tests that the proposed method is able to provide binaural sound effects with very closely spaced stereo loudspeakers.