Are you operating in the correct SPL window for high-fidelity listening?


We spend hours and hundreds of dollars properly setting up our turntables (or have the dealer do it).  Do you spend any time setting the correct db level for listening?

The Fletcher-Munson curves, also known as equal loudness contours, illustrate how human perception of sound loudness changes with frequency and volume. They show that at low volumes, the human ear is less sensitive to very low and very high frequencies, making midrange frequencies seem louder than they are. Conversely, at high volumes, the ear becomes more sensitive to low and high frequencies, making them seem louder.  See the ISO 226 standard.

I listen at the volume recording engineers use for mixing:  80 to 85 db. Anyone have any thoughts?

markalarsen

I use an old Radio Shack SPL meter set on C weighted and on slow.  I measure from my seated position on my systems:  always an equilateral triangle.  I understand that not all instruments measurements are as accurate as others, but even a iPhone gives you a good idea, even if it does not measure SPL below 50hz. The differences cannot be so substantial that they cannot be compared.

My fault for not asking a clear question.  I wonder if others have found a minimum volume where the bass, midrange and treble all sound the same volume.   An effort to overcome the Fletcher-Munson curves and make the audio spectrum sound flat.

roon tends to do a good job maintaining comparable listening levels however I think all this loudness stuff is recording specific.

Quality of recording plays a big role in how the music fills the room.  

And of course the louder the music the more damage likely to your ears. And damage to your ears is cumulative.  That’s why beginning to smoke a really bad idea.

markalarsen, You wrote, "The differences cannot be so substantial that they cannot be compared."

I use the same meter as you, the Radio Shack. I listen to full range ESL speakers. When I take measurements from my listening position, the readings vary by at least 5-10 db depending exquisitely on how I point the meter.  That is the very thing I am talking about.  And that result is using the RS meter.  How would those results compare to using the iPhone meter or some other meter or if the weighting was different, without my altering any other test condition? (A weighting gives different results from C weighting with the RS meter, too.) The variability in my results using the same LP and the same volume settings on my preamp ranges the same as what others refer to as "different" or a diference in their preferences compared to another contributor. This is not meaningful.

I feel like SPL is both mood- and recording-dependent. 

Sometimes I’ll listen to 100 db sludge metal while performing certain tasks because it helps me focus. 

Other times, I am content listening to sixties big band at volumes that don’t intrude on quiet conversation.

A good system should accommodate both without significant loss of sound quality or resolution. I find that the upper limit beyond which listening becomes uncomfortable is determined more by the room than by the system, in my case that is. 

Preamplification / attenuation is a topic unto itself that has not been satisfactory explained in this thread so far, and though not the main topic it is inextricably linked. Suffice it to say that a very good volume control can make a significant improvement in sound quality, while a mediocre one (which is to say the vast majority) has the ability to ruin your low-SPL listening experience.