Abstract
In the work environment, miniature electroacoustic transducers are often used in communication, for the transmission of warning signals or during training. They can be used in headphones or mounted in personal protective equipment. It is often important to reproduce sounds accurately. The purpose of this work was to assess audio strips by comparing the frequency response of the signal in the electrical outputs of six common-purpose devices. Based on the risk of hearing damage, the level of noise exposure was assessed. The following headphones were investigated: low-budget closed-back, open-back for instant messengers, open-back for music, and in-ear. A head and torso simulator with a transfer function was used. The most uniform shape of the frequency response of the signal at the electrical outputs was found to be in smartphones. Sound cards integrated into laptop motherboards had highly unequal characteristics (up to 23 dB). In the case of one of the laptops, the upper range of the transmitted frequencies was limited to the 12,500 Hz band. An external sound card or wireless headphones can improve the situation. In the worst-case scenario, i.e., rock music, the listening time was limited to 2 h and 18 min.
Highlights
The aim of this work was to assess the strips playing back sound in headphones connected to the output of a sound card integrated into a laptop, as a common-purpose device, by studying their frequency response
The main conclusion drawn from these diagrams is that for sound cards integrated with computer motherboards, there is a significantly unequal shape of the frequency response of the signal fed to their output, (reaching 15 or 23 dB (1 V reference value)), compared to the personal devices
The measurements showed that the most uniform shape, as a function of frequency, of signal characteristics at the electrical outputs of sound playback devices was in personal devices, regardless of the operating system (Android, iOS)
Summary
Relevant information—and in certain situations, warning signals—are provided to employees by means of sound played over an electroacoustic transducer located close to the ear. This can be in the form of headphones, e.g., for employees communicating with colleagues or customers. It can be in the form of a miniature speaker installed in personal protective equipment (PPE), such as a hearing protector or helmet, as described in a previous paper [1]. Training can be addressed to other audiences, e.g., persons with vision disabilities, as presented in a previous paper [2]
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