A comparison of loudness metrics for acoustic noise from Information Technology products

摘要

The basic metric for noise emission from Information Technology products is the emittedrnsound power level, according to ISO 7779. This basic metric is supplemented by the soundrnpressure level(s) at the operator, and bystander positions. Another acoustic metric isrnloudness, which has its basis in psycho-acoustics. Over the last years, there have beenrnseveral new developments with respect to loudness standardization. This paper provides anrnoverview of the differences between the various methods. A large sample set ofrnrepresentative sounds, used previously in an extensive sound quality study, forms the basisrnfor the analysis. The loudness for each of these sounds is calculated, and the variations inrnloudness between the methods are quantified. In addition, empirical correlations betweenrnmetrics are established and recommendations are given for practical loudness evaluations.