Based on acoustic input to their two ears, humans are able to collect rich spatial information. To explore their acoustic environment in more detail, they thereby move their bodies and heads to resolve ambiguities as might appear in static spatial hearing. This process is termed “active listening.” This chapter introduces new research regarding two specific aspects of active listening, namely, (i), facilitation of sound localization in the median plane and, (ii), augmentation of the discrimination angle for frontal auditory object. As active listening affects spatial hearing significantly, the design of systems for spatial-sound presentation requires substantial expertise in this field. In this context, a dynamic binaural display was developed that supports active listening. The display was applied to edutainment applications such as training the spatial-perception competence of visually impaired persons. Two examples were specifically investigated for this purpose, namely, a maze game and an
action game. The former facilitates players’ ability to draw cognitive maps. The latter improves the sound-localization performance of players, their eye-contact frequency during conversation, and their ability to avoid approaching objects. Results suggest that binaural displays that support active listening are indeed capable of enhancing listener experience in reproduced and virtual auditory scenes.
