Determining sound quality judgments for metric development.

Abstract

The sound quality of various technical products has become important for manufacturers. It is interpreted as among the most relevant factors regarding perceived product quality and is important in gaining market advantage. Usually, the purpose of sound quality studies is to derive a relationship between the subjective attributes and physical properties of sound. But how can valuable and meaningful subjective data be obtained? Identifying the most important psycho‐physical quantities reflecting human responses to specific evaluation criteria depends on the applied method and the test design. Weighting factors for individual parameters in a combined metric depend strongly on the sounds used, the test environment, and the evaluation task. This paper will contrast the strengths and weaknesses of different methods, and discuss their level of inaccuracy in the intended application. The possibility of combining methods could be a step forward to achieve more grounded results and to enhance the explanatory power of developed metrics. Results of a few case studies will be presented, and options for combining different methods will be discussed.