An acoustical study of IPOD output: Effects of headsets and control settings

Authors

  • Desiree Pereira University of Toronto at Mississauga, Department of Psychology, 3359 Mississauga Rd N, Mississauga, Ont. L5L 1C6
  • Shaun Sharma University of Toronto at Mississauga, Department of Psychology, 3359 Mississauga Rd N, Mississauga, Ont. L5L 1C6
  • Kathy Pichora-Fuller University of Toronto at Mississauga, Department of Psychology, 3359 Mississauga Rd N, Mississauga, Ont. L5L 1C6

Keywords:

Equalizers, Frequency response, Headphones, Natural frequencies, Physical properties, Sensitivity analysis, Acoustical output measurements, Control settings, Headsets

Abstract

An acoustical study was conducted to investigate the level of sound output of Apple iPod using different kinds of headsets and how output depends on factors such as equalizer and volume control settings. Three factors that differentiate one set of headphones from another are sensitivity, impedance, and frequency response. The acoustical output measurements were compared for samples of two genres of music played at four volume settings and different equalizer settings for three different headsets. Two 30 second sound clips were used for the tests, one from the Hip hop genre and the other from Electronica. Hip Hop songs are known for their strong precussion, thus most of their energy is concentrated in the low-frequency range between 1 and 4 KHz whereas Electronica song features synthetically produced sounds spanning a frequency range from 1 to 12 KHz. The largest and smallest differences at each volume level were used to determine which equalizer settings made the most differences. These physical measurements can be used to estimate the risk to human hearing.

Additional Files

Published

2006-09-01

How to Cite

1.
Pereira D, Sharma S, Pichora-Fuller K. An acoustical study of IPOD output: Effects of headsets and control settings. Canadian Acoustics [Internet]. 2006 Sep. 1 [cited 2024 Oct. 7];34(3):60-1. Available from: https://jcaa.caa-aca.ca/index.php/jcaa/article/view/1822

Issue

Vol. 34 No. 3 (2006)

Section

Proceedings of the Acoustics Week in Canada

License

Author Licensing Addendum

This Licensing Addendum ("Addendum") is entered into between the undersigned Author(s) and Canadian Acoustics journal published by the Canadian Acoustical Association (hereinafter referred to as the "Publisher"). The Author(s) and the Publisher agree as follows:

  1. Retained Rights: The Author(s) retain(s) the following rights:

    • The right to reproduce, distribute, and publicly display the Work on the Author's personal website or the website of the Author's institution.
    • The right to use the Work in the Author's teaching activities and presentations.
    • The right to include the Work in a compilation for the Author's personal use, not for sale.

  2. Grant of License: The Author(s) grant(s) to the Publisher a worldwide exclusive license to publish, reproduce, distribute, and display the Work in Canadian Acoustics and any other formats and media deemed appropriate by the Publisher.

  3. Attribution: The Publisher agrees to include proper attribution to the Author(s) in all publications and reproductions of the Work.

  4. No Conflict: This Addendum is intended to be in harmony with, and not in conflict with, the terms and conditions of the original agreement entered into between the Author(s) and the Publisher.

  5. Copyright Clause: Copyright on articles is held by the Author(s). The corresponding Author has the right to grant on behalf of all Authors and does grant on behalf of all Authors, a worldwide exclusive license to the Publisher and its licensees in perpetuity, in all forms, formats, and media (whether known now or created in the future), including but not limited to the rights to publish, reproduce, distribute, display, store, translate, create adaptations, reprints, include within collections, and create summaries, extracts, and/or abstracts of the Contribution.

Most read articles by the same author(s)

1 2 > >>