Preferred Noise Criterion (PNC) Curves and Their Application to Rooms

Beranek, Leo L.; Blazier, Warren E.; Figwer, J.

doi:10.1121/1.1912760

Cited by 47 publications

(10 citation statements)

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“…Noise rating, NR, was based on BS 8233 (BS, 1999). Preferred noise criterion, PNC, and balanced noise criterion, NCB, were based on Beranek and Blazier (1971) and Beranek (1989).…”

Section: E Noise Indices Of the Experimental Soundsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Subjective and objective rating of spectrally different pseudorandom noises—Implications for speech masking design

Hongisto

Oliva

Rekola

2015

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America

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Artificial sound masking is increasingly used in open-plan offices to improve speech privacy and to reduce distraction caused by speech sounds. Most of the masking sounds are based on pseudorandom continuous noise filtered to a specific spectrum that should be optimized in respect with speech masking efficiency and comfort. The aim of this study was to increase basic understanding regarding the comfort. The second aim was to determine how well objective rating methods (15 different noise indices) predict the subjective ratings. Twenty-three subjects rated the loudness, disturbance, pleasantness, and six other subjective measures of 11 spectrally different noises in laboratory conditions. Speech was not present during the experiment. All sounds were presented at 42 dB LAeq within 50-10,000 Hz. Unexpectedly, the subjects were most satisfied with sounds having emphasis on low frequencies. A sound having a slope of -7 dB per octave increment resulted in the highest satisfaction. Changes in subjective ratings were reasonably well predicted by five noise indices, while many well-known noise indices frequently used in building design underperformed in this task. The results are expected to benefit in the design of masking sounds and other appliances.

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“…Noise rating, NR, was based on BS 8233 (BS, 1999). Preferred noise criterion, PNC, and balanced noise criterion, NCB, were based on Beranek and Blazier (1971) and Beranek (1989).…”

Section: E Noise Indices Of the Experimental Soundsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Subjective and objective rating of spectrally different pseudorandom noises—Implications for speech masking design

Hongisto

Oliva

Rekola

2015

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America

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“…, the noise climate L A10,Tϭ5 min. ϪL A90,Tϭ5 min., noise criterion, 6 noise rating, 7 balanced noise criterion, 13 preferred noise criterion, 16 midfrequency average level (L MF ), 17 loudness, and loudness levels of Stevens 11 and Zwicker. 12 The first four indices are A-weighted.…”

Section: Noise Indicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Performance of noise indices in air-conditioned landscaped office buildings

Tang

1997

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America

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Noise measurements and a questionnaire survey were carried out in air-conditioned landscaped offices in the present study in an attempt to find out what existing noise index gives the best correlation with the auditory sensation feeling of office workers. Results from statistical analyses show that the Equivalent Sound Pressure LEvel is the best among the 14 commonly used noise indices for this purpose. It is also found that the less commonly used Zwicker's loudness level performs better than the commonly adopted Noise Criterion curves and Noise Rating curves in predicting auditory sensation of office workers in air-conditioned landscaped offices. The performance of the 14 noise indices in predicting auditory comfort are compared.

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“…Preferred noise criterion curve is a noise measurement system for continuous or ambient noise in indoor environments proposed by Beranek (1971). PNC curves are often used to judge the acceptability of ventilation and other background broad band noise sources.…”

Section: Preferred Noise Criterionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Experimental Study of Acoustic Comfort in Open Space Banks Based on Speech Intelligibility and Noise Annoyance Measures

Golmohammadi¹,

Aliabadi²,

Trifah³

2017

Archives of Acoustics

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Tasks requiring intensive concentration are more vulnerable to noise than routine tasks. Due to the high mental workload of bank employees, this study aimed to evaluate acoustic comfort in open-space banks based on speech intelligibility and noise annoyance metrics. Acoustic metrics including preferred noise criterion (PNC), speech transmission index (STI), and signal to noise ratio (SNR) were measured in seventeen banks (located in Hamadan, a western province of Iran). For subjective noise annoyance assessments, 100-point noise annoyance scales were completed by bank employees during activities. Based on STI (0.56±0.09) and SNR (20.5±8.2 dB) values, it was found that speech intelligibilities in the workstations of banks were higher than the satisfactory level. However, PNC values in bank spaces were 48.2±5.5 dB, which is higher than the recommended limit value for public spaces. In this regard, 95% of the employees are annoyed by background noise levels. The results show irrelevant speech is the main source of subjective noise annoyance among employees. Loss of concentration is the main consequence of background noise levels for employees. The results confirmed that acoustic properties of bank spaces provide enough speech intelligibility, while staff’s noise annoyance is not acceptable. It can be concluded that due to proximity of workstations in open-space banks, access to very short distraction distance is necessary. Therefore, increasing speech privacy can be prioritised to speech intelligibility. It is recommended that current desk screens are redesigned in order to reduce irrelevant speech between nearby workstations. Staff’s training about acoustic comfort can also manage irrelevant speech characteristics during work time.

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Preferred Noise Criterion (PNC) Curves and Their Application to Rooms

Cited by 47 publications

References 0 publications

Subjective and objective rating of spectrally different pseudorandom noises—Implications for speech masking design

Subjective and objective rating of spectrally different pseudorandom noises—Implications for speech masking design

Performance of noise indices in air-conditioned landscaped office buildings

An Experimental Study of Acoustic Comfort in Open Space Banks Based on Speech Intelligibility and Noise Annoyance Measures

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