Comparing Ambisonic Microphones - Part 1

This paper presents some initial experiments devised to assess the performance of a number of commercially available microphones in capturing 360 audio. The subjective audio quality of four microphones (Soundfield MKV, Core Sound TetraMic, MH Acoustics Eigenmike, & Zoom H2N) was assessed using a modified Multiple Stimuli with Hidden Reference and Anchor (MUSHRA) test. The localization accuracy was assessed using an objective directional analysis of recordings made with a spherical array of sixteen loudspeakers. Intensity vectors were extracted from 25 critical frequency bands, and used to compute the angle to the source location for each recorded signal. Both studies revealed significant differences between microphones with respect to several different parameters.