Aspects of Quantifying Impact Sound Annoyance

Abstract

The exposure to noise and its harmful effects on health have been a subject of scientific consideration for decades. Over time different psychophysical indicators for characterizing noise have been developed and some, such as the Zwicker loudness (ISO 532-1:2017), found its way even into standardization. Nevertheless, it is often challenging to establish a relationship between single-number (SNQs) quantities and annoyance ratings. This paper presents several trends in research that were found in scientific literature focusing on studies with a shorter listening test design, conducted under laboratory conditions. Moreover, the relation between psychophysical indicators and annoyance ratings is investigated. In addition, technical and practical constraints regarding the design of such experiments are presented.