2. misc-audio
  3. 168100-1853

Noise floors

I'd like to address an issue that every single audiophile experiences, that being inherent/ambient steady state noise floors. Here we spend so much effort and money on our equipment in order to lower noise floor and increase resolution, transparency, only to lose some percentage of it on relatively high ambient noise floors. By this I mean the noise generated internally by home, hvac systems and so much more, add to that external, outside the home generated noise. Measuring over many years, over large variables, lowest readings of mid 20db to highest mid 50db in my dedicated listening room, these are steady state readings, any particular system in house may activate and or outdoor generated noises, which are even more variable, may kick in raising if from here.

And so, while we can address both these internal and external generated noise floors to some extent, we can't rid ourselves entirely of them. I presume there are widely varying levels of these noise floors for each of us, and it should be accounted for in reviews or evaluations of equipment. And could be reason for trusting only long term reviews, with varying noise floor levels within one's listening room, short term listening could have taken place during time of best or worse case room noise floor.

But mostly what bothers me is, here all this effort and money spent on equipment in attempt to lower noise floor, and so much of that lost by relatively ridiculous levels of steady state and/or ambient noise. Makes one think about getting closed back headphones, or moving out to extremely remote area to home with minimal internally generated noise. To think how much better  the very system I presently have would sound in that environment!


sns
sns OP
3,320 posts
 
keithsax, cool, I have 1970 MGB GT, so elemental and slow, gotta love it!
sokogear
1,097 posts
 
When the stereo is on at a decent volume, as MC says, the ambient noise is not audible unless it is something very loud, like HVAC and maybe an old running dishwasher. I have a fish tank whose filter you can hear if you listen, but it is not audible/noticeable when the stereo is playing. If your windows are open and horns are honking and you want to enjoy the stereo maximally, shut them.
iclickjohn
26 posts
 
"Hear's" an experiment........
Sit in your sweet spot, Put on your favorite "soundstage" music and,
While listening CUP your ears with your hands. I did this the other day and I have NO idea why lol. But I did it anyway to amazement of my ears and what it did to the soundstage, ambient noise, and emersion.  So I tried making something that I could wear over my ears. I cut out paper cups that would sit around my ears... didn't work so well because the thinness was like nothing was there.  Got online and found clear rubber cups already made for "enhance listening" and bought them.  There is slight improvement but not the same as cupping with hands.  So I'd like to see if anyone has any ideas because this seemed to block out ambient sound at the same time as enhancing, by a noticeable margin, the emersion and soundstage.  I would also like to preempt responses suggesting, yes indeed, I am an idiot. That is already a given.  
sns OP
3,320 posts
 
I've tried something similar, a high back chair, higher than my ears. My listening room at end of house, front wall at outside wall, so at listening position virtually all house generated noise behind listening position. The high back chair masked those noises to some extent, but also eliminated nearly all sound reflections from behind listening position, destroys sense of immersion in sound field,  no way!

Here in order of preference would be my favorite listening room locations. Least favorite is room with walls on outside of house, worst because uncontrolled outdoor generated noise. I'd rather have greater issue be much better controlled interior generated noise. Least outside walls is best. I have three exterior walls for my listening room, not good.

Next would be interior room in house, more insulated from uncontrolled outdoor noise, perhaps the least from the more controlled interior noise.

The best possible listening room would be in basement of house, by far the best insulated from the uncontrolled outdoor noise, indoor would be variable depending on placement of HVAC, plumbing systems.
In this room all walls double layers of dry wall, insulation material between layers, ceiling maximally treated to sound proof from home generated noise. cement slab covered in acoustic friendly materials, HVAC and plumbing systems (if located in basement) in sound proofed room.
desktopguy
382 posts
 
Ambient noise pollution (ie, a too-high noise floor in one’s environment) is all too real. I am currently experiencing this more vividly in the bedroom than listening room:

1 - BR is relatively quiet in general (house on 2 acres in suburban/rural area).

2 - There is a Bose table radio in the room. I can play it at low volume while reading before bedtime. Easy to hear and appreciate it.

3 - Air conditioning in the BR used to be a window AC unit (loud as hell)--but now it’s a "split system" where the compressor is outside & near-impossible hear inside; and the unit on the wall is a very quiet air handler that blows air over coils containing chilled coolant & into the room. It works like a charm w/far less noise than any window AC. Easy to forget the split's even on...that sound is soft, soothing white noise.

4 - Yet when the split is on I cannot listen to that radio w/o turning up the volume significantly. I haven’t measured decibels, but the split is not simply adding environmental noise (which it is); it’s also adding environment white noise capable of "masking" other low-volume sounds.

I could get exactly the same effect with a box fan set to "low" -- not even close to loud, but able to mask all other low volume sounds.
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