A personalized HRTF is generated from a generic HRTF by having a person don headphones, then select a generic HRTF model from a list. Test signals emulating sounds from a source at a specific virtual speaker location are played on the headphones, and the person indicates where he thinks the emulated sounds are coming from. Any difference between the virtual speaker location and the “heard” location is used to adjust the parameters (amplitude, phase, and frequency response) of the generic HRTF to render a HRTF personalized to the listening person.