In four test series with an exposure level of 94 dB (A) for 1 hour, each, Chinese and European subjects were exposed to Chinese classical music and noise. The physiological responses of hearing were evaluated by temporary threshold shifts (TTS2), the restitution time, and the "Integrated Restitution Temporary Threshold Shifts" (IRTTS), i.e. the total "physiological costs" the hearing had to pay for. For Chinese subjects, the exposure to industrial noise caused significantly higher TTS2 values and a considerably prolonged restitution time than classical music. Also for European subjects, wide-band noise caused significantly higher TTS2 values and longer restitution times than Chinese classical music. With respect to the ethnic groups, there is no significant difference in the TTS2 values of the Chinese and European subjects after exposing to Chinese classical music and noise. The total physiological costs of the Chinese subjects associated with classical music related to those of industrial noise amounted to just 10%. Based on the conventional energy equivalent rating of sound exposures, the results should have been identical in the tests. This is not at all the case. Therefore, rating of sound exposures in accordance with traditional procedures can lead to a grave misestimating of the actual physiological costs of the hearing.
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