Just to mention when the speaker manufacturer states Sensitivity spec the loudness at one meter in dB is for 1 watt of Power. That is not the speaker’s full capability. The spec is provided to indicate the speaker’s relative sensitivity. And there is no reason to assume speaker distortion will increase significantly when more power than 1 watt is applied - up to some point, obviously. Furthermore, the distortion you hear as more power is applied might not (rpt not) be produced by the speakers per se as I have pointed out before - I.e., comb filter effects from room anomalies (pressure peaks in room corners and elsewhere, slap echo, standing waves as well as other, uh, less understood phenomenon, beyond scope.
Does It have to be loud?
Are you also under the impression that when people (or
manufacturers) demo their equipment, they maintain sound pressure levels
between 90-100 Dba. In general this is done in rooms being too small, and
therefore the room will heavily interact with the sound heard in that room.
Often, when you ask to lower the volume, the actual result is better, and –most
likely- provides you with the information you were looking for. So, my question here is, do you also prefer
to listen in the 90-100 dba range? Or do you –like myself- like to listen in
the 70-90 dba sound pressure range? Of course, I’m referring to sound pressure
levels at the listening position, which –in my case- is about 4 meter away from
the speaker.
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As far the definition of Decibel you found it. Sound intensity or volume indeed doubles for roughly each 3dB in SPL which is a mathematical certainty due to the formula. Nope! Shadorne. Apparently you have as much of a problem reading as you do listening. In my 03-04-2018 7:00pm post to which you refer, you can note that this article http://newt.phys.unsw.edu.au/jw/musFAQ.html#add **DOES NOT** include the word "volume" (with respect to doubling every 3db). You are confusing "intensity" and "volume", believing (incorrectly so) that they are one and the same. |
@geoffkait I fully agree with your statement "Furthermore, the distortion you hear as more power is applied might not (rpt not) be produced by the speakers per se as I have pointed out before - I.e., comb filter effects from room anomalies (pressure peaks in room corners and elsewhere, slap echo, standing waves as well as other, uh, less understood phenomenon, beyond scope". Bottom line is that the chances of hearing distortion at higher (95 dba upwards) are simply much higher. That's why I started this discussion. Why would manufacturers, and/or equipment owners seek the higher SPL to demonstrate the abilities of their equipment, whilst when staying under that value you will be able to judge the equipment much better. Also, because usually the rooms used to demonstrate have little or no acoustic treatment. Anyway, after having read the reactions here, there is a clear indication that a vast majority of the people here will stay way under the 95 dba SPL when listening to music. So, hopefully those involved for demonstrating equipment at shows read this as well ;) |
@gdhal I am surprised we cannot agree. To clarify, a speaker that plays to 90 dB SPL before distorting and non-linear behaviour commences is still true high fidelity up to the point it starts distorting. Above that level - well I thought this would be intuitive - the speaker is no longer high fidelity. As for the Decibel and what is volume level (sound intensity), I guess I leave that to you to decide how you feel these terms are best defined. Your terminology usage and meaning simply does not match normal audio engineering convention and I have no ability to guess what you mean by any of these terms. None of this is all that important. No offences intended. Disagreement is healthy and that is how we all learn. |
- 113 posts total