diff --git a/lib_com/ivas_prot.h b/lib_com/ivas_prot.h
index 88ddd63edc3393693fd97e07dea2e8a6aa4e14cd..5d4faf0eb0e247cba971677498011e6e9755ebdc 100644
--- a/lib_com/ivas_prot.h
+++ b/lib_com/ivas_prot.h
@@ -1559,6 +1559,10 @@ int16_t read_BS_adapt_GR_sg(
 void stereo_dft_hybrid_ITD_flag(
     STEREO_DFT_CONFIG_DATA_HANDLE hConfig,                      /* o  : DFT stereo configuration                */
     const int32_t input_Fs                                      /* i  : CPE element sampling rate               */
+#ifdef HYBRID_ITD_MAX
+    ,
+    const int16_t hybrid_itd_max                                /* i  : flag for hybrid ITD for very large ITDs */
+#endif
 );
 
 void stereo_dft_enc_compute_itd(
diff --git a/lib_com/options.h b/lib_com/options.h
index 77fe75096d82188105ab9065fc13264b8e461df9..4150e91a5df06f3aa0a6f9e1ac1f49acd6ffdc11 100644
--- a/lib_com/options.h
+++ b/lib_com/options.h
@@ -218,6 +218,9 @@
 
 #define FIX_DIRAC_LS_SYNTHESIS_CONFIG_479               /* FhG: fix for issue 479, broken LS output with DirAC at high BRs */
 
+#define HYBRID_ITD_MAX                                 /* FhG: Improvement for DFT-stereo for cases with large ITDs */
+
+
 /* ################## End DEVELOPMENT switches ######################### */
 /* clang-format on */
 
diff --git a/lib_enc/ivas_cpe_enc.c b/lib_enc/ivas_cpe_enc.c
index b60f8be45b3807ced769a80dbe65b106df875963..522cfb885de6f90d12fb2fa4b9389cba04a1c121 100644
--- a/lib_enc/ivas_cpe_enc.c
+++ b/lib_enc/ivas_cpe_enc.c
@@ -333,7 +333,12 @@ ivas_error ivas_cpe_enc(
 
     if ( hCPE->element_mode == IVAS_CPE_DFT )
     {
-        stereo_dft_hybrid_ITD_flag( hCPE->hStereoDft->hConfig, input_Fs );
+        stereo_dft_hybrid_ITD_flag( hCPE->hStereoDft->hConfig, input_Fs
+#ifdef HYBRID_ITD_MAX
+                                    ,
+                                    hCPE->hStereoDft->hItd->hybrid_itd_max
+#endif
+        );
 
         /* Time Domain ITD compensation using extrapolation */
 #ifdef DEBUG_MODE_DFT
diff --git a/lib_enc/ivas_stat_enc.h b/lib_enc/ivas_stat_enc.h
index 58b77976621fb97676c96b1d46a1951fe229e122..07cdae30b7dc7736a356ce047eb569abc38eb584 100644
--- a/lib_enc/ivas_stat_enc.h
+++ b/lib_enc/ivas_stat_enc.h
@@ -81,6 +81,10 @@ typedef struct stereo_itd_data_struct
     int16_t prev_itd1;
     int16_t prev_itd2;
 
+#ifdef HYBRID_ITD_MAX
+    /*flag for hybrid ITD for very large ITDs*/
+    int16_t hybrid_itd_max;
+#endif
 } ITD_DATA, *ITD_DATA_HANDLE;
 
 typedef struct dft_ana_struct
diff --git a/lib_enc/ivas_stereo_dft_enc.c b/lib_enc/ivas_stereo_dft_enc.c
index 43546261a41b954622c9bdaa07ef0bee191c2072..dbc06622554a01af8246712094ef87be2d10d0e5 100644
--- a/lib_enc/ivas_stereo_dft_enc.c
+++ b/lib_enc/ivas_stereo_dft_enc.c
@@ -294,9 +294,16 @@ ivas_error stereo_dft_enc_create(
     hStereoDft_loc->hConfig->force_mono_transmission = 0;
 
     stereo_dft_config( hStereoDft_loc->hConfig, IVAS_24k4, &tmpS, &tmpS );
-    stereo_dft_hybrid_ITD_flag( hStereoDft_loc->hConfig, input_Fs );
+
     stereo_dft_enc_open( hStereoDft_loc, input_Fs, max_bwidth );
 
+    stereo_dft_hybrid_ITD_flag( hStereoDft_loc->hConfig, input_Fs
+#ifdef HYBRID_ITD_MAX
+                                ,
+                                hStereoDft_loc->hItd->hybrid_itd_max
+#endif
+    );
+
     *hStereoDft = hStereoDft_loc;
 
     return IVAS_ERR_OK;
@@ -560,6 +567,9 @@ void stereo_enc_itd_init(
     hItd->prev_itd1 = 0;
     hItd->prev_itd2 = 0;
 
+#ifdef HYBRID_ITD_MAX
+    hItd->hybrid_itd_max = 0;
+#endif
     return;
 }
 
diff --git a/lib_enc/ivas_stereo_dft_enc_itd.c b/lib_enc/ivas_stereo_dft_enc_itd.c
index d2c0bc7fe1ec78ae00051af7f280b97fe93c1d2a..025729e0cdc3832e6487d73f76e1f8781f275130 100644
--- a/lib_enc/ivas_stereo_dft_enc_itd.c
+++ b/lib_enc/ivas_stereo_dft_enc_itd.c
@@ -115,11 +115,19 @@ static void set_band_limits(
 void stereo_dft_hybrid_ITD_flag(
     STEREO_DFT_CONFIG_DATA_HANDLE hConfig, /* o  : DFT stereo configuration    */
     const int32_t input_Fs                 /* i  : CPE element sampling rate   */
+#ifdef HYBRID_ITD_MAX
+    ,
+    const int16_t hybrid_itd_max /* i  : flag for hybrid ITD for very large ITDs */
+#endif
 )
 {
     if ( hConfig != NULL )
     {
-        if ( hConfig->res_cod_mode || ( hConfig->ada_wb_res_cod_mode && input_Fs == 16000 ) )
+        if ( hConfig->res_cod_mode || ( hConfig->ada_wb_res_cod_mode && input_Fs == 16000 )
+#ifdef HYBRID_ITD_MAX
+             || ( hybrid_itd_max == 1 )
+#endif
+        )
         {
             hConfig->hybrid_itd_flag = 1;
         }
@@ -642,6 +650,11 @@ void stereo_dft_enc_compute_itd(
 
     float cng_xcorr_filt;
 
+#ifdef HYBRID_ITD_MAX
+    int16_t prev_itd_max;
+    int16_t itd_max_flip;
+#endif
+
     if ( hCPE->element_mode == IVAS_CPE_DFT )
     {
         hStereoDft = hCPE->hStereoDft;
@@ -1328,7 +1341,12 @@ void stereo_dft_enc_compute_itd(
         hItd->prev_sum_nrg_L_lb = sum_nrg_L_lb;
         mvr2r( xcorr_lb, hItd->prev_xcorr_lb, STEREO_DFT_XCORR_LB_MAX );
     }
-
+#ifdef HYBRID_ITD_MAX
+    /*save previous flag*/
+    prev_itd_max = hItd->hybrid_itd_max;
+    /* enable hybrid ITD handling for very large ITDs*/
+    hItd->hybrid_itd_max = ( abs( itd ) > STEREO_DFT_ITD_MAX && abs( itd ) < STEREO_DFT_ITD_MAX_ANA && !hCPE->hCoreCoder[0]->sp_aud_decision0 && hCPE->element_brate < IVAS_32k );
+#endif
     /* Update memory */
     hItd->prev_itd = itd;
 
@@ -1343,7 +1361,7 @@ void stereo_dft_enc_compute_itd(
 #ifdef DEBUG_STEREO_CLF
     dbgwrite( &hItd->itd[k_offset], sizeof( float ), 1, 1, "res/ITD.x" );
 #endif
-
+    /* limit ITD range for MDCT stereo even more */
     if ( hCPE->element_mode == IVAS_CPE_MDCT && fabsf( hItd->itd[k_offset] ) > ITD_MAX_MDCT )
     {
         itd = 0;
@@ -1353,7 +1371,25 @@ void stereo_dft_enc_compute_itd(
 
     hItd->deltaItd[k_offset] = hItd->itd[k_offset] - hItd->td_itd[k_offset];
 
-    /* limit ITD range for MDCT stereo even more */
+#ifdef HYBRID_ITD_MAX
+    if ( hItd->hybrid_itd_max )
+    {
+        /*check if there is an ITD flip*/
+        itd_max_flip = ( hItd->itd[k_offset] * hItd->itd[k_offset - 1] < 0 );
+
+        if ( hItd->deltaItd[k_offset - 1] != 0 && itd_max_flip == 0 )
+        {
+            int16_t tmp_itd = (int16_t) floor( ( ( hItd->prev_itd ) * ( (float) input_frame / 640 ) ) + 0.5f );
+            hItd->deltaItd[k_offset] = -1.0f * tmp_itd - hItd->td_itd[k_offset];
+        }
+    }
+    /*signal change for next frame*/
+    if ( prev_itd_max == 1 && hItd->hybrid_itd_max == 0 )
+    {
+        hItd->hybrid_itd_max = -1;
+    }
+#endif
+
 #ifdef DEBUG_MODE_DFT
     {
         int16_t tmp;
diff --git a/lib_enc/ivas_stereo_dft_td_itd.c b/lib_enc/ivas_stereo_dft_td_itd.c
index b7fb95422f3136080892b0df097b65719ef747c6..27a71dfae477f0d3702d266163887e9204d73f00 100644
--- a/lib_enc/ivas_stereo_dft_td_itd.c
+++ b/lib_enc/ivas_stereo_dft_td_itd.c
@@ -271,11 +271,18 @@ void stereo_td_itd(
             hITD->td_itd_32k[i] = hITD->td_itd_32k[i + 1];
         }
     }
+#ifdef HYBRID_ITD_MAX
+    /*reset TD ITDs in case of hybrid itd_max change - turn hybrid ITD off*/
+    if ( hITD->hybrid_itd_max == -1 && hybrid_itd_flag == 0 )
+    {
+        hITD->td_itd[k_offset] = 0;
+        hITD->td_itd_32k[k_offset] = 0;
+    }
+#endif
     if ( hybrid_itd_flag == 0 )
     {
         return;
     }
-
     stereo_td_get_td_itd( &( hITD->td_itd[k_offset] ), &( hITD->td_itd_32k[k_offset] ), hITD->itd[k_offset], sts[0]->input_Fs );
 
 /* initializations*/