Abstract
The loudness of broadband sound is often modeled as a linear sum of specific loudness across
frequency bands. In contrast, recent studies using molecular psychophysical methods suggest that
low and high frequency components contribute more to the overall loudness than mid frequencies.
In a series of experiments, the contribution of individual components to the overall loudness
of a tone complex was assessed using the molecular psychophysical method as well as a loudness
matching task. The stimuli were two spectrally overlapping ten-tone complexes with two equivalent
rectangular bandwidth spacing between the tones, making it possible to separate effects of
relative and absolute frequency. The lowest frequency components of the “low-frequency” and
the “high-frequency” complexes were 208 and 808 Hz, respectively. Perceptual-weights data
showed emphasis on lowest and highest frequencies of both the complexes, suggesting spectraledge
related effects. Loudness matching data in the same listeners confirmed the greater contribution
of low and high frequency components to the overall loudness of the ten-tone complexes.
Masked detection thresholds of the individual components within the tone complex were not correlated
with perceptual weights. The results show that perceptual weights provide reliable behavioral
correlates of relative contributions of the individual frequency components to overall
loudness of broadband sounds
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Journal of the Acoustical Society of America |
| Volume | 139 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Pages (from-to) | 373–383 |
| ISSN | 0001-4966 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2016 |
| Externally published | Yes |