How loud do you listen?

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keithpeter

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#1
Hello All

Bought a cheap sound level meter (mainly to frighten music performance students into turning their amplifiers down when they practice) today.

Our sitting room has background around 42-43 dB (all at C weighting, and pretty wide error margin on the meter of +- 3db) with the windows and door closed.

'Normal background' is 70 dB, 'loud, proper listening' is coming out at 82 dB ish. All the way up, amplifier complaining, is 96 dB ish with max 102 dB, all at my usual listening position of around 7 feet away from the speakers in a 15 ft by 11ft room.

I used a Philip Glass record of minimalist organ music (Two Pages / Contrary Motion) for this very unscientific test.

To put this into perspective, doing some heavyish chords on the upright piano in this room with the sustain pedal on gets to 103 dB at 7 ft away, and I wasn't hammering it.

Anyone else got any figures? Judging by all these super woofer designs with 100s of watts, you should all have bleeding ears.🙂

cheers
 
#8
I play the music depending on the type. If I listen to jazz, the level is like in the concert room or at speech level. If I listen to 60's rock, then I must feel it. For blues, below speach level. Do not ask for dB values, 'cause I don't know them.

There are cases though when the volume isn't enough, no matter how loud the music is. Those cases are called AC-DC.
 
#9
yup, while demoing for effect, 100dB+ peaks are not be unusual, but for actual relaxed enjoyment, I've measured my own average levels at less than 80dB (approx 3 meters distance)

with higher sensitivity full range speakers (i.e, 90dB plus) it kinda makes you rethink "how much power do I really need?"

here we go again....
 
#10
How loud do you listen?
Click to expand...

How loud does it go?

This used to be the answer to that question from the time that I started making amplifiers (late 60's) until I got the big Carver in the 80's that went beyond loud.

Now I need to listen at a level that is high enough that the details in the music are louder than the tinitus in my head! Seriously, 40 years of loud rock music has taken its toll. Now I need an 8 to 10 watt amp just touching clipping into 87db speakers to really hear the details in the music. That translates to 95 db peaks.
 
#12
My loudness depends on what I am listening to. If it is a bard, I hear him as if he is in my room sitting in front of me, no louder, no softer. When I am listening to a jazz, I listen on the appropriate volume, as if I am in a concert hall. The same about symphony orchestra: it has piano-pianissimo and forte-fortissimo. But when I listen to some rock concerts I listen them LOUD
 
#13
When me and the mamselle were in Verona (and that ain't Verona NJ) a couple of weeks ago I was struck by how inconsequential the voices seemed in the beginning of the first act of Turandot. By the time the 3rd act got going, however, our ears got tuned up and the tenor got warmed up and the rendition of "nessum dorma" left not a dry eye in the house.

my advice to you, young men, is to save your shekels and hear some live musik. the ear and brain accommodate.

and btw, for this phillistine Verona is now a fave city in the entirety of the world.

Edit: My fave cities ex N America are Munich, Amsterdam, Paris and Verona, but I remain partial to Toulouse, St. Emillion and Chartres.
 
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#14
I have no idea how loud, but enough to clearly hear it above the background noise. Which is not much since when I saw my friend's TI hybrid digital amplifier on display, it was quite a bit louder than I normally listen at (to catch attention, of course) and the average *input* power was right at one watt...
ratza said:
There are cases though when the volume isn't enough, no matter how loud the music is. Those cases are called AC-DC.
Click to expand...
Add a fan or something to supplement the low frequencies. DC sound is better known as wind.
 
#15
tubelab.com said:
How loud does it go?

This used to be the answer to that question from the time that I started making amplifiers (late 60's) until I got the big Carver in the 80's that went beyond loud.

Now I need to listen at a level that is high enough that the details in the music are louder than the tinitus in my head! Seriously, 40 years of loud rock music has taken its toll. Now I need an 8 to 10 watt amp just touching clipping into 87db speakers to really hear the details in the music. That translates to 95 db peaks.
Click to expand...

Hello Tubelab

Thanks for this, I'm trying to prevent another generation doing the ear damage thing and your quote will help there. I have colleagues who worked as roadies in the 1980s... high frequencies gone!
 
#20
wg_ski said:
SPL isn't quite enough for that. You need power. A dbx 120A is helpful to get full impact from Back in Black. Especially if your source spins at 33 1/3 RPM (as it should be).
Click to expand...

Sounds dangerous. In Birmingham, UK, we had a performance art event under a motorway interchange some 16 years ago. An 'urban gamelan' group needed to get planning permission to perform (they were using 16 Kwatts of amplification). I could not bear to be closer than about 100 yds. It was pressing against my thorax.

Any chance of you setting up a session then doing an SPL measurement?
 
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