Airborne sound insulation and noise annoyance: Implications of listening test methodology

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

* Listening tests provide a framework for evaluating the subjective perception of sound in a controlled laboratory environment. In the literature, a number of publications can be found that use this method to study a variety of acoustic aspects, including the impact of sound insulation on indoor noise annoyance. Several publications deal with the validation/rejection of so-called single number quantities, and based on this, derive guidelines on the performance rating of construction elements. Nevertheless, there is no consensus regarding this topic in the scientific community. The outcome of these studies is greatly dependent on the sound stimuli used, which in this context are sound events filtered through the attenuation spectra of the walls. Therefore, to achieve relevant guidelines based on subjective evaluation, the stimuli must realistically reflect the range of noise exposure in buildings, and the SNQs must cover all aspects of annoyance. This work presents an overview of the methodology and sound stimuli used in the studies aimed at the impact of sound insulation on noise annoyance. Based on this overview, recommendations for future research are put forward to better incorporate all aspects of noise annoyance.