A concentrated pure tone damages hearing more than broadband sound at equal level
Evidence
This approach to measuring the noise dose takes no account of the spectrum of the sound that is causing the noise exposure, because to do so would be difficult in practice. However, it is obvious that the effect of a pure tone at 85 dBA on the ear is going to be different from the same level spread over the full frequency range. In the former situation, there will be a large amount of energy concentrated at a particular point on the basilar membrane, and this is likely to be more damaging than the second case, in which the energy will be spread out over the full length of the membrane. Note that the specification for noise dose uses “A” weighting for the measurement, which, although it is more appropriate for low rather than high sound levels, weights the sensitive 4 kHz region more strongly. — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 688
Categorization
Category: Causal Relationships
- QUESTION: The basilar-membrane energy concentration claim suggests tonal noise is worse than broadband — worth chasing the actual damage studies for a practical hearing-protection angle.
- SEED: Article angle: why harmonic-rich live music may be safer at the same level than one piercing tone, since energy spreads along the basilar membrane.
Related
- A narrowband tone damages the ear more than the same energy spread wide (similarity 0.91)
- Concentrated spectral energy damages the ear more than broadband noise of equal level (similarity 0.90)
- High bass levels are safe while comparable high-frequency levels risk hearing. (similarity 0.83)
- Loudness curves from anechoic pure tones fail on real broadband program material (similarity 0.80)
- A-weighted decibels better predict hearing damage than unweighted sound pressure level. (similarity 0.80)
- Sound peaks above 130 dB can damage hearing instantly (similarity 0.79)
- Noise research shifted from hearing-loss risk to subjective annoyance (similarity 0.79)
- Chronic 85 dB daily exposure causes hearing loss, while 130 dB risks acute injury (similarity 0.79)