Research on Bus Interior Sound Quality Based on Masking Effects

Abstract

Masking effect is a very common psychoacoustic phenomenon, which occurs when there is a suitable sound that masks the original sound. In this paper, we will discuss bus interior sound quality based on the masking effects and the appropriate masking sound selection to mask the original sounds inside a bus. We developed three subjective evaluation indexes which are noisiness, acceptability and anxiety. These were selected to reflect passengers’ feelings more accurately when they are subject to the masking sound. To analyze the bus interior sound quality with various masking sounds, the subjective–objective synthesis evaluation model was constructed using fuzzy mathematics. According to the study, the appropriate masking sound can mask the bus interior noise and optimize the bus interior sound quality.