Geometric-mean filters compose a family of filters indexed by a parameter k
varying between 0 and 1. They have been used to provide frequency-based fi
ltering that mitigates the noise suppression of the optimal-linear Wiener f
ilter in the blurred-signal-plus-noise model. For k = 0 and k = 1, the geom
etric-mean filter gives the inverse filter and the Wiener filter for the mo
del, respectively. The geometric mean for k = 1/2 has previously been deriv
ed as the optimal linear filter for the model under power-spectral-density
(PSD) equalization. This constraint requires the PSD of the filtered signal
to be equal to the PSD of the uncorrupted signal that it estimates. This p
aper defines the notion of PSD stabilization, in which the PSD of the resto
red signal is equal to a predetermined function times the PSD of the uncorr
upted signal. A particular parameterized stabilization function yields the
geometric-mean family as the optimal linear filter for the model under PSD
stabilization. Relative to unconstrained optimization, geometric means are
suboptimal; however, we consider a parameterized model for which the noise
is such that the geometric-mean filters provide optimal linear filtering. I
n the altered signal-plus-noise model for which the geometric mean is optim
al, the blur is the same as the original model in which the geometric mean
is defined, but the noise PSD is a function of the Fourier transform of the
blur and the PSD of the original noise. Since the altered model depends on
k, we consider a robustness question: what kind of suboptimality results f
rom applying the geometric mean for k(1) to the model for which the geometr
ic mean for k(2) is optimal?