Methodology and apparatus for determining psychoacoustical threshold curves

The present invention relates in a first aspect to a method of determining a psychoacoustical threshold curve by selectively varying a first parameter and a second parameter of an auditory stimulus signal applied to a test subject/listener. The methodology comprises steps of determining a two-dimensional boundary region surrounding an a priori estimated placement of the psychoacoustical threshold curve to form a predetermined two-dimensional response space comprising a positive response region at a first side of the a priori estimated psychoacoustical threshold curve and a negative response region at a second and opposite side of the a priori estimated psychoacoustical threshold curve. A series of auditory stimulus signals in accordance with the respective parameter pairs are presented to the listener through a sound reproduction device and the listener's detection of a predetermined attribute/feature of the auditory stimulus signals is recorded such that a stimuli path through the predetermined two- dimensional response space is traversed. The psychoacoustical threshold curve is computed based on at least a subset of the recorded parameter pairs.