Spatial Audio HRTF Elevation & Pinna Notch Tester
Put on stereo headphones. Test your brain's ability to localize sounds directly behind, above, and below you using real-time Web Audio 3D panner convolution.
๐ฏ 3D Audio Source Orbit
X: 0.0 ยท Y: 0.0 ยท Z: -1.0๐ฎ Tactical Gaming Presets
Acoustic Profile
Tune this frequency if sounds from behind feel too bright or too muffled.
โ Frequently Asked Questions
How does HRTF (Head-Related Transfer Function) create 3D spatial sound in stereo headphones?
HRTF mimics the physical acoustics of the human head, torso, and outer ear folds (pinna). By calculating Interaural Time Difference (ITD - the delay between sound hitting one ear before the other), Interaural Level Difference (ILD - volume attenuation caused by head shadow), and spectral filtering, stereo headphones can place sounds above, below, or behind you.
Why do sounds from directly behind or directly in front sound identical without HRTF?
When a sound originates on the exact center axis (directly ahead or directly behind), it reaches both ears at the exact same millisecond and volume. In nature, your outer ear flap (pinna) filters high frequencies (creating a sharp acoustic dip around 6 kHz to 9 kHz) when sound comes from behind, allowing the brain to resolve front-to-back ambiguity.
How does sound elevation (above vs below) work in esports games like CS2 and Valorant?
Games use HRTF convolution filters to simulate vertical elevation. Sounds originating from a balcony above have prominent 4 kHzโ8 kHz presence, while footsteps below in a sewer or pit undergo low-pass filtering and torso acoustic reflections.
Should I disable 7.1 Virtual Surround when using CS2 or Valorant 3D Audio?
Yes! Modern game engines (like CS2's 3D Audio Processing or Valorant's HRTF setting) calculate binaural audio natively from the game's actual 3D coordinate space. Leaving third-party 7.1 software enabled causes double-convolution, destroying directional accuracy and muddying footstep clarity.