Psychoacoustic Methods Applied to SKODA Passenger Car Development Programmes: Intentions and First Experiences

Several steps have been taken by Skoda, the main passenger car manufacturer in the Czech Republic and a member of Volkswagen Group, since the company decided to introduce psychoacoustics into the NVH development process. Some others are planned for the near future.

The first results of the SKODA car manufacturer's co-operation with a psychoacoustical laboratory are briefly described in the second part of the paper. The overall sound quality of six different loudspeaker installations in a small car cabin was evaluated subjectively. The acoustical and psychological peculiarities of listening to reproduced music in car interiors are discussed in connection with the listening tests results. Finally, the usefulness of wide co-operation between the automotive industry, car audio manufacturers, and psychoacoustical laboratories in this field, as well as the need for standards for the subjective evaluation of in-car loudspeaker systems in car interiors is pointed out.