Personal noise ranking of road traffic: subjective estimation versus physiological parameters under laboratory conditions.

Objective: To evaluate the subjective estimation of noise-induced discomfort and its correlation to psychoacoustic and physiological parameters under laboratory conditions. To establish an effective description of sound qualities of road traffic noise, supplementing the current standards and calculation specifications.

Methods: Pass-by vehicle noise samples were binaurally recorded with a dummy head measurement system, and synthetically composed to six vehicle ensembles considering different road beds, varying speed profiles and noise barriers.