Computer Science > Sound
arXiv:2603.09232 (cs)
[Submitted on 10 Mar 2026]
Title:How Contrastive Decoding Enhances Large Audio Language Models?
View a PDF of the paper titled How Contrastive Decoding Enhances Large Audio Language Models?, by Tzu-Quan Lin and 3 other authors
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Abstract:While Contrastive Decoding (CD) has proven effective at enhancing Large Audio Language Models (LALMs), the underlying mechanisms driving its success and the comparative efficacy of different strategies remain unclear. This study systematically evaluates four distinct CD strategies across diverse LALM architectures. We identify Audio-Aware Decoding and Audio Contrastive Decoding as the most effective methods. However, their impact varies significantly by model. To explain this variability, we introduce a Transition Matrix framework to map error pattern shifts during inference. Our analysis demonstrates that CD reliably rectifies errors in which models falsely claim an absence of audio or resort to uncertainty-driven guessing. Conversely, it fails to correct flawed reasoning or confident misassertions. Ultimately, these findings provide a clear guideline for determining which LALM architectures are most suitable for CD enhancement based on their baseline error profiles.
| Comments: | |
| Subjects: | Sound (cs.SD); Computation and Language (cs.CL); Audio and Speech Processing (eess.AS) |
| Cite as: | arXiv:2603.09232 [cs.SD] |
| (or arXiv:2603.09232v1 [cs.SD] for this version) | |
| https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2603.09232
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View a PDF of the paper titled How Contrastive Decoding Enhances Large Audio Language Models?, by Tzu-Quan Lin and 3 other authors
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