TY - ABST

T1 - A study of twenty-one cases of low-frequency noise complaints

A1 - Pedersen,Christian Sejer

A1 - Møller,Henrik

A1 - Persson-Waye,Kerstin

AU - Pedersen,Christian Sejer

AU - Møller,Henrik

AU - Persson-Waye,Kerstin

PB - Société Francaise d'Acoustique

PY - 2008

Y1 - 2008

N2 - From 203 cases of low-frequency complaints a random selection of twenty-one previously unsolved cases were investigated. The main aim of the investigation was to answer the question whether the annoyance is caused by an external physical sound or by a physically non-existing sound, i.e. low-frequency tinnitus. Noise recordings were made in the homes of the complainants, and the complainants were exposed to these in blind test listening experiments. Furthermore, the low-frequency hearing function of the complainants was investigated, and characteristics of the annoying sound was matched. The results showed that some of the complainants are annoyed by a physical sound (20-180 Hz), while others suffer from low-frequency tinnitus (perceived frequency 40-100 Hz). Physical sound at frequencies below 20 Hz (infrasound) is not responsible for the annoyance - or at all audible - in any of the investigated cases, and none of the complainants has extraordinary hearing sensitivity at low frequencies. For comparable cases of low-frequency noise complaints in general, it is anticipated that physical sound is responsible in a substantial part of the cases, while lowfrequency tinnitus is responsible in another substantial part of the cases.

AB - From 203 cases of low-frequency complaints a random selection of twenty-one previously unsolved cases were investigated. The main aim of the investigation was to answer the question whether the annoyance is caused by an external physical sound or by a physically non-existing sound, i.e. low-frequency tinnitus. Noise recordings were made in the homes of the complainants, and the complainants were exposed to these in blind test listening experiments. Furthermore, the low-frequency hearing function of the complainants was investigated, and characteristics of the annoying sound was matched. The results showed that some of the complainants are annoyed by a physical sound (20-180 Hz), while others suffer from low-frequency tinnitus (perceived frequency 40-100 Hz). Physical sound at frequencies below 20 Hz (infrasound) is not responsible for the annoyance - or at all audible - in any of the investigated cases, and none of the complainants has extraordinary hearing sensitivity at low frequencies. For comparable cases of low-frequency noise complaints in general, it is anticipated that physical sound is responsible in a substantial part of the cases, while lowfrequency tinnitus is responsible in another substantial part of the cases.

UR - http://intellagence.eu.com/acoustics2008/acoustics2008/cd1/data/index.html

BT - Proceedings of Acoustics '08

T2 - Proceedings of Acoustics '08

ER -