Is it necessary to measure hearing protector attenuation at 3.15 and 6.3 kHz?
The real-ear attenuation data for 81 different hearing protectors were analyzed with respect to the errors that would arise if, instead of averaging the 1/3-octave-band results at 3.15 and 4 kHz and 6.3 and 8 kHz, respectively, the octave-band attenuation at 4 and 8 kHz was estimated from only the 1/3-octave-band data at those two frequencies. Errors as large as 3-4 dB were found to occur in rare instances, but more typically were in the range of 0.5-1.5 dB. However, in terms of computation of an overall noise reduction rating such as the NRR, the effect of excluding the 3.15- and 6.3-kHz data led to errors that averaged only 0.1 dB and never exceeded 0.3 dB, except in one instance, where the error was 0.6 dB. It was concluded that there is little value in measuring real-ear attenuation in a diffuse sound field at the frequencies of 3.15 and 6.3 kHz for applications in which hearing protector attenuation data are normally utilized.
Berger
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EH
E-A-R Division, Cabot Corporation, Indianapolis, Indiana 46268-0898.
Rowland
L D
LD
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D004430:Ear Protective Devices / Q000592:standards*; D006317:Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D010898:Pitch Perception; D011482:Protective Devices / Q000592:standards*