Skip to main content

LUP Student Papers

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Presence vs. Precision: Spatial Audio Latency in Virtual Opera

Li, Yi-Jhe LU (2026) MAMM15 20261
Department of Design Sciences
Ergonomics and Aerosol Technology
Abstract
Audiovisual synchronization significantly impacts the viewing experience in
streaming environments, yet research on latency sensitivity toward spatial audio in
Virtual Reality (VR) remains limited. This study conducted an audiovisual
synchronization experiment in a virtual opera house, where 18 participants
performed multisensory integration tasks using the Meta Quest Pro. The results
indicated a substantial increase in the Just Noticeable Difference (JND) for spatial
audio, reaching 461.23 ms, compared to 224.14 ms under the stereo audio condition.
Similarly, the Point of Subjective Simultaneity (PSS) shifted from 22.47 ms in the
stereo condition to 71.17 ms in the spatial audio condition. Subjective questionnaire
results... (More)
Audiovisual synchronization significantly impacts the viewing experience in
streaming environments, yet research on latency sensitivity toward spatial audio in
Virtual Reality (VR) remains limited. This study conducted an audiovisual
synchronization experiment in a virtual opera house, where 18 participants
performed multisensory integration tasks using the Meta Quest Pro. The results
indicated a substantial increase in the Just Noticeable Difference (JND) for spatial
audio, reaching 461.23 ms, compared to 224.14 ms under the stereo audio condition.
Similarly, the Point of Subjective Simultaneity (PSS) shifted from 22.47 ms in the
stereo condition to 71.17 ms in the spatial audio condition. Subjective questionnaire
results revealed that participants perceived spatial audio as more natural and
requiring less cognitive effort, despite the observed decrease in temporal precision.
Eye-tracking data further showed that gaze anchors remained concentrated on the
conductor’s face, with no apparent differences in gaze distribution between audio
conditions, indicating that auditory presentation did not fundamentally alter visual
attention strategies. Overall, while the data showed a numerical trend toward
decreased user temporal sensitivity in the spatial audio condition, this effect did not
reach statistical significance. This study provides practical implications for the
design of future immersive streaming systems and contributes to the development
of latency thresholds that better balance user experience and system performance. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Li, Yi-Jhe LU
supervisor
organization
course
MAMM15 20261
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Spatial audio, Audiovisual synchronization, Multisensory integration
language
English
id
9233095
date added to LUP
2026-06-09 10:43:51
date last changed
2026-06-09 10:43:51
@misc{9233095,
  abstract     = {{Audiovisual synchronization significantly impacts the viewing experience in
streaming environments, yet research on latency sensitivity toward spatial audio in
Virtual Reality (VR) remains limited. This study conducted an audiovisual
synchronization experiment in a virtual opera house, where 18 participants
performed multisensory integration tasks using the Meta Quest Pro. The results
indicated a substantial increase in the Just Noticeable Difference (JND) for spatial
audio, reaching 461.23 ms, compared to 224.14 ms under the stereo audio condition.
Similarly, the Point of Subjective Simultaneity (PSS) shifted from 22.47 ms in the
stereo condition to 71.17 ms in the spatial audio condition. Subjective questionnaire
results revealed that participants perceived spatial audio as more natural and
requiring less cognitive effort, despite the observed decrease in temporal precision.
Eye-tracking data further showed that gaze anchors remained concentrated on the
conductor’s face, with no apparent differences in gaze distribution between audio
conditions, indicating that auditory presentation did not fundamentally alter visual
attention strategies. Overall, while the data showed a numerical trend toward
decreased user temporal sensitivity in the spatial audio condition, this effect did not
reach statistical significance. This study provides practical implications for the
design of future immersive streaming systems and contributes to the development
of latency thresholds that better balance user experience and system performance.}},
  author       = {{Li, Yi-Jhe}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Presence vs. Precision: Spatial Audio Latency in Virtual Opera}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}