Since our ears and brain interprete distortion as loudness most audiophiles think they have speakers that play extremely loud however a dB meter will confirm to them that what they think is loud is actually just huge amounts of distortion giving the appearance of loudness.
Hi @shadorne
I appreciate your response to my question earlier in the thread. I’ll grant you that, unfortunately, sound stage does not seem to test above 95db. In the case of my particular speakers (Golden Ear T Ref), I consider the fact that they are a few db’s off "perfect" linearity, and even then over a small range of high frequency, essentially linear where the ability to play loud without distortion is concerned. On the basis of their sensitivity and power handling capability, they can produce over 115 db. And, I have reason to believe they could do so without damaging themselves in the process.
I certainly do agree with you that distortion increases as volume increases. But I think I’ve attended enough live events to know that - at least in my particular case - my system is more than capable of producing realistic rock concert level sound pressure, with (seemingly) no more distortion than the live event itself would produce. So, the fact that distortion increases with volume (generally speaking) is what it is, and IMO is largely irrelevant to the enjoyment of the listening session (unless the distortion is such that it becomes obvious).
To your point I’ve quoted above, I’ll disagree. Distortion doesn’t necessarily give the appearance of loudness. Distortion sounds "wrong" whereas loud and relatively undistorted music can sound authentic (and "right"), like a live event.
A db meter is used to confirm sound pressure level, not the "quality" of the sound. The db meter doesn’t care if the sound is distorted or not. Sound pressure is just that; sound pressure. So, whether or not the SPL is reading distortion or genuinely loud and un-distorted sound shouldn’t matter (from the perspective of the listener perceiving the sound as loud or soft).
EDIT:
Besides the fact that I do have an SPL meter, there are numerous charts available that provide insight as to sound pressure level. Here is one of many: https://ehs.yale.edu/sites/default/files/files/decibel-level-chart.pdf It is based on my SPL meter and general understanding that if a subway train at 200 feet is 95 db, my apartment at times can sound as though the train is 50 feet away :)