TS 8060

TS 8060 addresses the reference coupler used when calibrating earphone elements in audiometry. In practical measurement terms, a coupler provides the defined acoustic loading under which an earphone is evaluated, helping make sound-pressure measurements more consistent and comparable. The standard’s subject is this intermediate device for the 125 Hz to 8 000 Hz frequency range.

An earphone does not, in general, produce the same sound pressure in a coupler as it does in a human ear. For that reason, couplers are used in audiometric calibration as a controlled reference environment that gives the earphone a specified acoustic impedance. The technical value of this arrangement is consistency: it supports more repeatable comparison between instruments and test setups.

Where the coupler fits in the calibration chain

In general technical context, a reference coupler acts as the interface between the earphone and the measurement system. This matters in audiometers because the earphone’s electrical drive is converted into acoustic output under mechanical and acoustic conditions that affect the result. TS 8060 identifies this specific coupler concept and places it within the calibration chain used for audiometric equipment.

This record also corresponds to a withdrawn standard. Even so, the subject remains technically relevant because it explains why earphone calibration in audiometry depends on a dedicated acoustic loading arrangement rather than on direct free-field assumptions.