Spatial audio processing emphasizing sound sources close to a focal distance

A spatial audio processing apparatus comprising:

• a receiver for receiving audio scene data describing an audio scene, the audio scene data comprising audio data describing spatial audio components and position data describing positions in the audio scene for at least some of the spatial audio components;
• a distance unit for providing a variable focus distance being indicative of a distance from a reference position in the audio scene;
• an adapter for adapting a perceptual emphasis property of at least a first spatial audio component of the spatial audio components relative to at least one other spatial audio component of the audio scene in response to a difference measure reflecting a difference between the variable focus distance and a distance in the audio scene from the reference position to a position of the first spatial audio component;
• an audio renderer for rendering the spatial audio components, the rendering being in response to the position data and the rendering of the first spatial audio component being subsequent to the adapter adapting the perceptual emphasis property.