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Sound pressure level (SPL) is the standard metric for regulations regarding environmental noise exposure. Because performances are often regulated by their A-weighted sound level, it is tempting to think that A-weighted level should be the primary design consideration for sound system headroom. Because A-weighting disregards significant low-frequency energy, it is possible to create a wide variety of spectra with the same A-weighted level, but each having a different spectral shape and C-weighted level. While regulators correlate excessive A-weighted levels with hearing damage, A-weighted levels are less well correlated with community annoyance. The Netherlands has recognized this and created a permitting system incorporating the difference between C- and A-weighted sound levels (C-A) as a measure of low-frequency content. This Brief gives supporting evidence for the correlation between C-A levels and different musical genres and offers complementary design guidance corresponding to sound system headroom with emphasis on in-band levels.
Author (s): van Veen, Merlijn, Schwenke, Roger; McCarthy, Bob
Affiliation:
Meyer Sound Laboratories, Berkeley, CA, USA
(See document for exact affiliation information.)
AES Convention: 152
Paper Number:670
Publication Date:
2022-05-06
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Session subject:
Loudspeakers and headphones
Permalink: https://aes2.org/publications/elibrary-page/?id=21731
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van Veen, Merlijn, Schwenke, Roger; McCarthy, Bob; 2022; Designing sound system in-band headroom based on expected difference between C- and A-weighted levels [PDF]; Meyer Sound Laboratories, Berkeley, CA, USA; Paper 670; Available from: https://aes2.org/publications/elibrary-page/?id=21731
van Veen, Merlijn, Schwenke, Roger; McCarthy, Bob; Designing sound system in-band headroom based on expected difference between C- and A-weighted levels [PDF]; Meyer Sound Laboratories, Berkeley, CA, USA; Paper 670; 2022 Available: https://aes2.org/publications/elibrary-page/?id=21731
@article{van2022designing,
author={van veen merlijn schwenke roger and mccarthy bob},
journal={journal of the audio engineering society},
title={designing sound system in-band headroom based on expected difference between c- and a-weighted levels},
year={2022},
number={670},
month={may},}