Sound measurements versus observers judgments of loudness

To test the ability of the “total noise” meter to give proper relative ratings for complex sounds of about the same level, but of materially different quality, a series of tests has been made wherein the noise measurements were compared directly with observers´ judgments of loudness. The results showed surprisingly close agreement between the meter readings and the average judgments of a group of observers. The results show also the superiority of noise meter readings over the judgment of any single observer.