Noise and reverberation both mask consonants, which are about 20 dB quieter than vowels

Evidence

The effect of noise, like reverberation, is to mask the stops and bursts asso­ ciated with consonants. This is because the consonants are typically 20 dB 0 -12 -9 -6 -3 -0 -3 6 7. — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 2462

Categorization

• DEFINE: Clarifies that consonants are the perceptually fragile part of speech, carried ~20 dB below vowels.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 2462
• XREF: connects to: Reverberation masks consonant stops and blurs the formant transitions essential to speech — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 2455; Prolonged forward masking makes vowels mask consonants in impaired ears — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 1111; Low-frequency transport noise masks the vowels that carry speech meaning

Broader Connections

• Prolonged forward masking makes vowels mask consonants in impaired ears #expands (0.80) — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 1111
• Low-frequency transport noise masks the vowels that carry speech meaning #contradicts (0.75)