2. Sound Impulsiveness
Impulse or impulsive sound presents similar challenges to those raised by tonal
noise. This type of noise “consists of one or more bursts of sound energy, each of a duration less than about 1 s[econd]”187 and is sometimes described as “‘clicks,’ ‘squeaks,’ ‘rattles,’ and ‘pops.’”188 The problem with impulsive sound is that it is a noise attribute to which the human ear is particularly sensitive.189 Stated differently, it causes a higher degree of annoyance than a steady noise of the same intensity.190
https://digitalcommons.law.utulsa.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?ar...
cccccc
Besides reducing the noise generation and transmission, significant efforts are also taken to understand the impact noise perception of the operator. An array of sound quality metrics were selected to investigate the most critical characteristics of the noise. These metrics are sound loudness, sound impulsiveness, and etc. Extensive noise data were collected and jury tests were conducted to correlate the sound quality metrics. The noise and vibration tests and sound quality results demonstrate the significant improvement of digital valve hydraulic system in an excavator.
https://www.sae.org/publications/technical-papers/content/20...

ccccc
Third, by accounting
for noise characteristics—frequency and impulsiveness—that play an important role in
determining how unpleasant a particular type of noise is, municipalities would be able to
more adequately evaluate the harm that noise can cause.
c
Impulse noise is a category of (acoustic) noise which includes unwanted, almost instantaneous (thus impulse-like) sharp sounds (like clicks and pops). Noises of the kind are usually caused by electromagnetic interference, scratches on the recording disks, gunfire, explosions and ill synchronization in digital recording and communication. High levels of such a noise (200+ decibels) may damage internal organs, while 180 decibels are enough to destroy or damage human ears.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impulse_noise_(acoustics)