Consumer's Demand for Better Sound and Vibration Quality

As original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) continue to improve the sound quality of their products, the expectation of consumers has changed over time. Companies that traditionally only addressed noise or vibration issues when they were problematic are now using sound quality as a fundamental selling feature. OEM's and suppliers in many different industries have endeavored to capture the acoustic preference of their customers and subsequently use it to drive their testing and design practices. This article describes how, in the experience of the authors, SQ targets have evolved over the years and how companies that have been early adopters of SQ targets have addressed this challenge. We also review some of the limitations of the traditional SQ development process and describe the approaches and tools that have been developed to address these limitations.