Improving the acoustic contrast control performance in car cabins

Abstract

The car cabin is an enclosure where personal audio is very important because different occupants may have individual listening requirements. Potential approaches to improve the acoustic contrast control performance in enclosures are discussed in this paper, including the configuration of loudspeakers and the sound absorption of sidewalls. The effect of the number of loudspeakers on the acoustic contrast control performance is first investigated, and the locations of a fixed number of loudspeakers are then optimized to maximize the acoustic contrast achieved with the system. The sound absorption of sidewalls also has an effect on the acoustic contrast control performance and it is discussed in detail. The simulations are based on the acoustic transfer functions obtained with a finite element model of a car cabin. The findings in this paper may serve as a guide to future designs of personal audio systems in car cabins.