The subjective effect of low frequency content in road traffic noise

Torija Martinez, AJ; Flindell, IH

Abstract

Based on subjective listening trials, Torija and Flindell [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 135, 1–4 (2014)]
observed that low frequency content in typical urban main road traffic noise appeared to make a
smaller contribution to reported annoyance than might be inferred from its objective or physical
dominance. This paper reports a more detailed study which was aimed at (i) identifying the
difference in sound levels at which low frequency content becomes subjectively dominant over mid
and high frequency content and (ii) investigating the relationship between loudness and annoyance
under conditions where low frequency content is relatively more dominant, such as indoors where
mid and high frequency content is reduced. The results suggested that differences of at least
þ30 dB between the low frequency and the mid/high frequency content are needed for changes in
low frequency content to have as much subjective effect as equivalent changes in mid and high
frequency content. This suggests that common criticisms of the A-frequency weighting based on a
hypothesized excessive downweighting of the low frequency content may be relatively unfounded
in this application area.

Citation

Torija Martinez, A., & Flindell, I. (2015). The subjective effect of low frequency content in road traffic noise. ˜The œJournal of the Acoustical Society of America (Online), 137(1), 189-198. https://doi.org/10.1121/1.4904542

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 1, 2014
• Online Publication Date: Jan 23, 2015
• Publication Date: Jan 23, 2015
• Deposit Date: Dec 3, 2019
• Journal: The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America (JASA)
• Print ISSN: 0001-4966
• Volume: 137
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 189-198
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1121/1.4904542
• Publisher URL: https://doi.org/10.1121/1.4904542
• Related Public URLs: https://asa.scitation.org/journal/jas
• Additional Information: Funders : University of Malaga and the European Commission, seventh Framework Programme for R & D of the EU, granted within the People Programme, Co-funding of Regional, National and International Programmes (COFUND);Ministerio de Economıa y Competitividad of Spain; Grant Number: Agreement Grant No. 246550; Grant Number: COFUND2013-40259