What does pink noise sound like?

[jamikl]

Something is puzzling me but I may not be able to express what I mean. What does pink noise, or even white noise for that matter, really sound like? As it is obviously audible we have to listen to it produced by some kind of transducer. As it also seems that we all hear differently, how does that affect the perceived colouration. The same for the transducers. We cannot hear it on a graph or on an oscilloscope screen so who hears it correctly and what produces it correctly?
jamikl

[Mooly]

Pink noise -- a bit coloured White noise is what it says on the tin.
Sorry couldn't resist that !
The definitions are very precise. Look at wikipedia for a full technical description.

Simply put Hiss is like white noise. Filtered Hiss, i.e turning the treble down is like pink noise, but look at the full technical write up.

[jamikl]

I have read writeups on what the differences are. that is not what I am asking. I guess I am saying that when somebody says that speaker x is better than speaker y because amongst other things the designer has ensured that it produces pink noise correctly, how can that mean anything. His perception of correct sound of pink noise may be different to yours or is it somehow free of subjective interpretation.
jamikl

[Juergen Knoop]

I once was watching an experienced speaker designer adjusting a tweeter by listening to noise only.
A later measurement confirmed that adjustment.
Probably it takes lots of experience, I can't do that.
regards

[Frank Berry]

Many designers use a calibrated microphone and an audio spectrum analyzer.

[gainphile]

Get Arta & panasonic mic (cheap) then run pink noise recording from linkwitzlab.com. Adjust with parametric eq (download TDA and run it from Winamp).

On a flat system PN sounds like waterfall. How that would mean to everyone else obviously is for discussion

[Juergen Knoop]

he just wanted to impress me!


and I was impressed!
regards

[Lsharptec1]

Guys,

White noise has equal energy at all frequencies.

Pink noise has equal energy in each octave.

Pink noise is used to "tune" a sound system to compensate for room modes.

When a system is tested using a pink noise source, the results displayed on a spectrum analyzer show a very accurate representation of the frequency response.

Adjustments can be made to graphic EQ or parametric EQ.

When a flat response across the audio spectrum is shown, the system has been "tuned" for that specific room.

Larry

[sreten]

Hi,

White noise sounds like hiss and has limited aural use.

Pink noise sounds "flat" or should. It is quite easy to hear when it
is not, e.g. for bass pink noise up to say 100Hz you can hear the
main room nodes "sticking" out, it does not sound like smooth noise.

Lack if a frequency is not so obvious (also true with music).

We may all hear differently but we all have the same reference, "flat".

This determines that you have e.g. h.f. hearing loss rather than
that most people actually have exaggerated treble syndrome.

FWIW also most people would regard around 3KHz as being
exaggerated in pink noise and prefer the famous "BBC dip".

/sreten.

[gainphile]

I read somewhere that ear response is actually different for different SPL, thus to "hear properly" it must be LOUD. But then agan.. what is LOUD ? he..he..