  Parametric sound field synthesis methods, such as the Spatial Decomposition
Method (SDM) and Higher-Order Spatial Impulse Response Rendering (HO-SIRR), are
widely used for the analysis and auralization of sound fields. This paper
studies the performances of various sound field synthesis methods in the
context of the auralization of a critical listening room. The influence on the
perceived spatial and timbral fidelity of the following factors is considered:
the rendering framework, direction of arrival (DOA) estimation method,
microphone array structure, and use of a dedicated center reference microphone
with SDM. Listening tests compare the synthesized sound fields to a reference
binaural rendering condition. Several acoustic parameters are measured to gain
insights into objective differences between methods. A high-quality pressure
microphone improves the SDM framework's timbral fidelity. Additionally, SDM and
HO-SIRR show similarities in spatial fidelity. Performance variation between
SDM configurations is influenced by the DOA estimation method and microphone
array construction. The binaural SDM (BSDM) presentations display temporal
artifacts impacting sound quality.
