Localizing sound sources: Computational tasks for the brain

The human auditory system is a highly complex reception and signal processing system. As a sound analyzer, it is still unmatched in performance and versatility by technical-analytical methods. A special feature of the human auditory system is the presence of two input channels. The second input channel does not have the "redundant" role of a spare part. Instead, the two-channel sound pickup enables spatial hearing, with subsequent binaural signal processing and pattern recognition being performed in addition to the two-ear acquisition. This further enhances the system's performance and enables perceptive excellence, such as directional hearing, selectivity, and noise cancellation. The temporal and spectral differences between the two ear signals provide essential information to the post-processing of the auditory system, which uses it in the formation of an auditory event with respect to the spatial position by direction, elevation, distance, and the assessment of noise quality.