Pair-wise comparison experiment on subjective annoyance rating of
noise samples with different frequency spectrums but same A-weighted
level
Applied Acoustics, (2008)Abstract
A pair-wise comparison experiment on subjective annoyance rating of
nine different noise samples is the focus of this paper. These noise
samples collected from some associated facilities in urban residential
areas are classified into three different types according to their
frequency characteristics, and their A-weighted levels are equalized
at 65 dBA. Based on the assessment of judging errors and statistical
validity analysis of each testee’s evaluating matrix, invalid data
are eliminated. The results show that the percentage of testees who
chose noise samples containing more low frequency components had
an obvious downside trend with the descending degree of annoyance
from ‘the most annoyed’ to ‘the least annoyed’. The result indicates
that noise which has low frequency characteristic is more annoying
than noise of other frequencies when their A-weighted level are the
same. Therefore, A-weighted level cannot scientifically assess noise
annoyance which contains low frequency components mostly.