A method for generating a binaural signal in response to a set of N channels of a multi-channel audio input signal, where N is a positive integer, said method including steps of: (a) applying N binaural room impulse responses, BRIR 1, BRIR 2,..., BRIR N, to the set of channels of the audio input signal, thereby generating filtered signals, including by applying the " i "th one of the binaural room impulse responses, BRIR i, to the " i "th channel of the set, for each value of index i in the range from 1 through N; and (b) combining the filtered signals to generate the binaural signal, wherein each said BRIR i, when convolved with the " i "th channel of the set, generates a binaural signal indicative of sound from a source having a direction, x i, and a distance, d i, relative to an intended listener, and at least one of said BRIR i has been designed by a method including steps of: (c) generating candidate binaural room impulse responses (candidate BRIRs) in accordance with a simulation model which simulates a response of an audio source, having a candidate BRIR direction and a candidate BRIR distance relative to an intended listener, where the candidate BRIR direction is at least substantially equal to the direction, x i, and the candidate BRIR distance is at least substantially equal to the distance, di; (d) generating performance metrics, including a performance metric for each of the candidate BRIRs, by processing the candidate BRIRs in accordance with at least one objective function; and (e) identifying one of the performance metrics having an extremum value, and identifying, as the BRIR i, one of the candidate BRIRs for which the performance metric has said extremum value; wherein the simulation model is a stochastic model that uses a combination of deterministic and stochastic elements, wherein step (d) includes a step of determining a target BRIR for each said candidate BRIR direction, and wherein the performance metric for each of the candidate BRIRs is indicative of a degree of similarity between said each of the candidate BRIRs and the target BRIR corresponding to the candidate BRIR direction for said each of the candidate BRIRs, wherein the degree of similarity is numerically evaluated in accordance with the at least one objective function. (a) applying N binaural room impulse responses, BRIR 1, BRIR 2,..., BRIR N, to the set of channels of the audio input signal, thereby generating filtered signals, including by applying the " i "th one of the binaural room impulse responses, BRIR i, to the " i "th channel of the set, for each value of index i in the range from 1 through N; and (b) combining the filtered signals to generate the binaural signal, wherein each said BRIR i, when convolved with the " i "th channel of the set, generates a binaural signal indicative of sound from a source having a direction, x i, and a distance, d i, relative to an intended listener, and at least one of said BRIR i has been designed by a method including steps of: (c) generating candidate binaural room impulse responses (candidate BRIRs) in accordance with a simulation model which simulates a response of an audio source, having a candidate BRIR direction and a candidate BRIR distance relative to an intended listener, where the candidate BRIR direction is at least substantially equal to the direction, x i, and the candidate BRIR distance is at least substantially equal to the distance, di; (d) generating performance metrics, including a performance metric for each of the candidate BRIRs, by processing the candidate BRIRs in accordance with at least one objective function; and (e) identifying one of the performance metrics having an extremum value, and identifying, as the BRIR i, one of the candidate BRIRs for which the performance metric has said extremum value;