A review of sound quality in consumer products: Research trends, metrics, and sectoral insights

Sound quality (SQ) has emerged as a key research focus across sectors, driven by technological advancements and evolving consumer expectations. Although it is influenced by source characteristics, operating conditions, and environmental factors, making standardization challenging. This study offers an in-depth examination of product-level SQ research carried out over the last 15 years, reflecting the increasing interest in this area. This analysis explores trends across three primary sectors: household appliances, vehicles, and mechanical components. These SQ metrics are defined as either shown to correlate strongly with subjective jury evaluations or highlighted by authors as critical design criteria. Although SQ is becoming increasingly important in design and performance, there is still a notable lack of comprehensive literature on this subject. This study brings together current research, emphasizing the importance of SQ as a vital design element. It also underscores the significance of noise perception, and frequently applied SQ metrics in the process of product development. Furthermore, it provides a quantitative analysis of historical research trends and industrial priorities, highlighting current research gaps and offering direction for future investigations. The results highlight how SQ affects not just technical performance, but also how consumers perceive it.