Detection, loudness, and discrimination of five-component tonal complexes differing in crest factor.

The detection, loudness, and discrimination performances of subjects with normal hearing were assessed using 3 five-component tonal complexes (1020-1100 Hz) with crest factors of 1.8, 2.6, and 3.2. The 3 five-component tonal complexes were: (1) equally detectable in broadband noise when presented at equal rms amplitude; (2) perceived as equally loud when presented at essentially equal rms amplitude; and (3) discriminable from one another when presented at equal loudness. The present data indicate that listeners can make discriminations on the basis of amplitude variations.