binaural cues

Binaural cues are the auditory signals your brain uses to determine where a sound is coming from. Two main types are interaural time differences (ITD), which is the tiny difference in when a sound reaches each ear, and interaural level differences (ILD), the slight difference in loudness between ears caused by the sound shadow of the head. These cues help your brain compute the direction and distance of sounds in your environment, enabling you to localize sounds accurately. Your brain processes these differences almost instantly, allowing you to pinpoint where sounds originate even in complex environments.