An audio signal processing apparatus for pre-processing a first input audio signal (E L) to obtain a first output audio signal (X L) and for pre-processing a second input audio signal (E R) to obtain a second output audio signal (X R), the first output audio signal (X L) to be transmitted over a first acoustic near-field propagation channel between a first loudspeaker and a left ear of a listener, the second output audio signal (X R) to be transmitted over a second acoustic near-field propagation channel between a second loudspeaker and a right ear of the listener, the audio signal processing apparatus comprising: a provider being configured to provide a first acoustic near-field transfer function (G LL) of the first acoustic near-field propagation channel between the first loudspeaker and the left ear of the listener, and to provide a second acoustic near-field transfer function (G RR) of the second acoustic near-field propagation channel between the second loudspeaker and the right ear of the listener; and a filter being configured to filter the first input audio signal (E L) upon the basis of an inverse of the first acoustic near-field transfer function (G LL) to obtain the first output audio signal (X L), the first output audio signal (X L) being independent of the second input audio signal (E R), and to filter the second input audio signal (E R) upon the basis of an inverse of the second acoustic near-field transfer function (G RR) to obtain the second output audio signal (X R), the second output audio signal (X R) being independent of the first input audio signal (E L); wherein the filter is configured to filter the first input audio signal (E L) or the second input audio signal (E R) according to the following equations: X L jω = E L jω G LL jω and X R jω = E R jω G RR jω. wherein E L denotes the first input audio signal, E R denotes the second input audio signal, X L denotes the first output audio signal, X R denotes the second output audio signal, G LL denotes the first acoustic near-field transfer function, G RR denotes the second acoustic near-field transfer function, ω denotes an angular frequency, and j denotes an imaginary unit. a provider being configured to provide a first acoustic near-field transfer function (G LL) of the first acoustic near-field propagation channel between the first loudspeaker and the left ear of the listener, and to provide a second acoustic near-field transfer function (G RR) of the second acoustic near-field propagation channel between the second loudspeaker and the right ear of the listener; and a filter being configured to filter the first input audio signal (E L) upon the basis of an inverse of the first acoustic near-field transfer function (G LL) to obtain the first output audio signal (X L), the first output audio signal (X L) being independent of the second input audio signal (E R), and to filter the second input audio signal (E R) upon the basis of an inverse of the second acoustic near-field transfer function (G RR) to obtain the second output audio signal (X R), the second output audio signal (X R) being independent of the first input audio signal (E L); wherein the filter is configured to filter the first input audio signal (E L) or the second input audio signal (E R) according to the following equations: X L jω = E L jω G LL jω and X R jω = E R jω G RR jω. wherein E L denotes the first input audio signal, E R denotes the second input audio signal, X L denotes the first output audio signal, X R denotes the second output audio signal, G LL denotes the first acoustic near-field transfer function, G RR denotes the second acoustic near-field transfer function, ω denotes an angular frequency, and j denotes an imaginary unit.