Why Loudness Tuning Matters: Delivering Consistent Premium Audio Experiences Across All Listening Levels in Automotive Audio Systems

Deetz K, Lahti H, Lee C, Perkins H. Why Loudness Tuning Matters: Delivering Consistent Premium Audio Experiences Across All Listening Levels in Automotive Audio Systems. In: 2026 AES 6th International Automotive Audio Conference. Audio Engineering Society; 2026. Paper 24. Available from: https://aes.org/publications/elibrary-page/?id=23417

@inproceedings{Deetz2026_23417,
  author = {Deetz, Kenneth and Lahti, Hans and Lee, Christopher and Perkins, Hannah},
  title = {{Why Loudness Tuning Matters: Delivering Consistent Premium Audio Experiences Across All Listening Levels in Automotive Audio Systems}},
  booktitle = {2026 AES 6th International Automotive Audio Conference},
  note = {Paper 24},
  year = {2026},
  month = jul,
  publisher = {Audio Engineering Society},
  url = {https://aes.org/publications/elibrary-page/?id=23417}
}

TY  - CPAPER
TI  - Why Loudness Tuning Matters: Delivering Consistent Premium Audio Experiences Across All Listening Levels in Automotive Audio Systems
AU  - Deetz, Kenneth
AU  - Lahti, Hans
AU  - Lee, Christopher
AU  - Perkins, Hannah
T2  - 2026 AES 6th International Automotive Audio Conference
M1  - Paper 24
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/07/29
UR  - https://aes.org/publications/elibrary-page/?id=23417
PB  - Audio Engineering Society
LA  - en
AB  - Automotive OEMs invest significantly in branded audio systems to create differentiated, premium in-vehicle experiences. However, loudness tuningcritical for maintaining consistent perceived sound quality across listening levelsis often underdeveloped or inconsistently implemented. Systems optimized at a single reference listening level can sound thin, unbalanced, or inconsistent under real-world usage conditions, negatively impacting perceived quality and brand identity. This paper presents a practical and production-ready methodology for loudness tuning based on ISO 226:2023 equal-loudness contours. Starting from a calibrated reference listening level, level-dependent compensation curves are derived to address changes in human auditory sensitivity at reduced playback levels. To validate the methodology, a benchmark dataset of over 250 production vehicles was analysed using both objective measurements and listener preference rankings. Results from the highest-rated systems show strong agreement with ISO-based predictions while revealing systematic deviations attributable to cabin acoustics and playback conditions. The findings demonstrate that loudness tuning is a scalable, software-driven opportunity to improve robustness of perceived audio quality and preserve brand sound signature across all listening conditions
ER  -