Long before the rise in popularity of height channels, binaural formats have incorporated spatial information in the vertical dimension with varying success. The two main approaches are the artificial mixing and rendering of processed multitrack audio, and the live recording with a binaural microphone such as a dummy head. This creates a significant threshold and restriction of what is possible in binaural recording. In this work, we compare the spatial perceptions associated with a specific selection of stereo and binaural setups, including an industry standard dummy head, a conventional AB stereo pair, and several versions of a novel binaural technique based on a foam ellipsoid. Perceptual evaluation of recordings made with these setups provide insight into the general sense of immersion and ability to localize specific sources. The results demonstrate the merit of the novel technique and indicate promising directions for further research into technically and artistically viable binaural recording methods.
