HRTF (Head-Related Transfer Function) Spatial Audio and Pinna Diffraction: Fundamental Mechanics and Deep Mathematical Modeling

[Sam Wright]

I’ve been digging into how HRTF actually achieves vertical localization, and the pinna diffraction piece is where I’m getting stuck. Can someone explain how the spectral notching created by the concha and tragus maps to elevation perception, and whether the standard approach treats this through a linear convolution model or if there’s a more accurate diffraction-based formulation? I’m particularly curious about how well the transfer function captures the frequency-dependent scattering that happens above 6kHz, since that’s where most of the directional cues live.

On the personalization side, I keep reading that generic HRTFs cause front-back confusions for a lot of players, but I’m not sure why. Is it primarily because the interaural time difference and level difference cues get ambiguous without individualized spectral shaping, or is there something about the head width and ear geometry that shifts the ILD crossover frequency? And for anyone who’s actually run personalized calibration—do you model the pinna as a rigid scatterer, and how do you handle the head-related transfer function’s dependence on the listener’s specific ear morphology without expensive measurement rigs?

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