Tinnitus should be measured in sones! - not dB.
How the test was performed
Product Manager Krestian Møller Pedersen (left) and Application Engineer Nick Prgomelja (right) from Bruel & Kjær
The tests were carried out by German magazine AUTO BILD in cooperation with Brüel & Kjær. As part of their luggage, the two engineers had brought with them the latest measuring equipment, specially designed for use in passenger cars. The Head And Torso Simulator (HATS) is placed in the front (or rear) of the vehicle, and picks up noises via microphones inside its head. In addition, a binaural headset was used, allowing one of the engineers to listen to the recordings. Both systems were connected via WLAN to a tablet PC, making it easy to monitor the measurements during the test drive. A prerequisite for an accurate measurement is the avoidance of unnecessary noise, so loose objects such as pens or key chains were not allowed in the test car. Each test run was carried out on the AUTO BILD test track in Bremerhaven by a test driver and an engineer.
This is how the points were awarded
Measurements were accurately taken of where noise was generated and whether it disturbed the quiet atmosphere in the car
The conclusion was the combined results of seven test events of different weighting. The inner sound (front of car) was measured for all candidates. In the case of constant speed driving, the average value of the results at speeds of 50, 100 and 130 km/h were evaluated. In the case of the zero to 100 km/h acceleration, the highest measurable value (peak) was evaluated. AUTO BILD determined the top speed results on the autobahn (German motorway). Speech intelligibility was judged on how well passengers managed to understand each other on the autobahn at a speed of 130 km/h. For many participants, this was not a problem. In fact, the only time a conversation was virtually impossible at high speeds was during the extremely noisy VW Beetle test drives. While measuring the auditory perception parameters, the subjective noise perceived for the 14 candidates throughout the entire test was assessed. Here, sound quality was the most important parameter. In the end, AUTO BILD preferred the V8 sound range of the Bentley to the V12 whisper of the Rolls Royce.
The result
The car's measurement results were tracked during the test drives using the Sonoscout™ iPad® app
Precision microphones, sophisticated measuring software and attentive tester ears hear everything. Or too little, as in the case of the winner – the Mercedes S 500. The limousine marks the lower end of the current noise threshold when driving – it was even quieter than the Rolls Royce. The electric cars showed that a silent motor alone is no guarantee for in-car comfort – noise is also generated by wind and tyres.
How sound is measured
Sound is pressure fluctuations that are perceived by our ears. A microphone converts pressure fluctuations into an electrical signal. Unwanted sound is called noise.
Decibels, dB
The strength of a sound or noise is measured in decibels (dB). The threshold of hearing is 0 dB, whispering 20 dB and a normal conversation around 50 dB.
A-weighting, dB(A)
In addition to the strength of a sound, a human ear also perceives different tones, or pitches, differently. That is why the evaluation of sound is done using a weighting filter. The most common is the A-weighting filter, which mimics the response of the human ear and the sound is then expressed in dB(A).
Sone
There are certain sound pitches that we perceive as more disturbing than others. In addition, we react in a more sensitive way when the sound strength is lower. The evaluation in sones connects the subjective human perception of sound with the sound pressure, which can be measured by our instruments. In acoustics, the sone is the unit of perceived loudness.One sone corresponds to 40 phon, which is the same as 40 dB(A) at 1000 Hz. Two sones are 50 phon and correspond to a doubling of the strength of the sound.
Member
i got a mustang v6 so its no louder then a ford focus. But sporty.
