Ambient noise levels in listening room

[pinger]

I was sitting on my couch the other day which is my listening spot in my 1 BR apt. Mid day and it was very quiet. I'm on a dead end with woods behind me and no street noise. I checked the sound levels suing a cell phone app and it was ranging between 27 and 32 db consistently. Curious about others experiences. I doubt you could get much lower than these readings. I am near bldg entrance so i do get entrance and exit noise periodically.

 

[Deleted member 48726]

28-30 dB is the noise floor at my listening room.

Maybe make a poll? I would like to know as well. Divide it into 5 choices and 2 dB intervals.

 

[RayDunzl]

35~36dBA 9:30am

Computer fan is rhe only obvious noise.

Recyling Truck in the area (bump at the end of the graph)

 

[DVDdoug]

I checked the sound levels suing a cell phone app and it was ranging between 27 and 32 db consistently.

It may be quieter than that... There will be electrical noise in the phone's preamp and at some point that will dominate. It seems like most SPL meters only go down to around 30dB.

And the phone isn't calibrated. The microphone sensitivity will vary, especially with different phone models.

 

[L100]

You can't trust the app. I've compared with maybe 5 phones/tablets and they are always wrong.

Right now my phone shows 37, but it's actually 22-23dBA.

 

[tmtomh]

You can't trust the app. I've compared with maybe 5 phones/tablets and they are always wrong.

Right now my phone shows 37, but it's actually 22-23dBA.

Interesting. I use the NIOSH app on my phone, and it shows about 38dB - and I can't recall ever getting a reading much lower than that. It very well could be that 38dB is as quiet as my room gets, but it's in an insulated basement room with double 5/8" drywall and solid-core doors, and it sure sounds/feels quieter than 38dB in my room right now.

 

[Deleted member 48726]

Interesting. I use the NIOSH app on my phone, and it shows about 38dB - and I can't recall ever getting a reading much lower than that. It very well could be that 38dB is as quiet as my room gets, but it's in an insulated basement room with double 5/8" drywall and solid-core doors, and it sure sounds/feels quieter than 38dB in my room right now.

That's the app I use and get lower readings from. On iPad Pro and iPhone 11 Pro.

 

[tmtomh]

That's the app I use and get lower readings from. On iPad Pro and iPhone 11 Pro.

Thanks! I guess my iPhone SE 2020 is noisier, or my room is noisier, or both. I do actually have a first-gen iPad Pro lying around; I will try it on that and see if the readings are any different.

 

[Deleted member 48726]

Thanks! I guess my iPhone SE 2020 is noisier, or my room is noisier, or both. I do actually have a first-gen iPad Pro lying around; I will try it on that and see if the readings are any different.

Try not to breathe. Buy don't do it for too long. 30 dB is actual silence.

 

[tmtomh]

Try not to breathe. Buy don't do it for too long. 30 dB is actual silence.

My bigger challenge is getting myself to care whether the phone's dB reading is accurate or not; room sounds/feels very quiet, and I can't change its ambient noise level anyway, so it's hard to care.

 

[Deleted member 48726]

My bigger challenge is getting myself to care whether the phone's dB reading is accurate or not; room sounds/feels very quiet, and I can't change its ambient noise level anyway, so it's hard to care.

But you do care. You are here. On the most OCD forum to exist.

 

[tmtomh]

But you do care. You are here. On the most OCD forum to exist.

Oh, I don’t know about that last bit - I think some of the collector hobbyist community forums might win that award.

 

[pinger]

I was just curious what other folks thought of this. I didn't consider noise from the phone itself but certainly understand it may not be that accurate either

 

[Somafunk]

My room sits around 30db but my house is in the countryside with zero traffic, if my log burner is on (24hrs day in winter) I can hear the fire and it knocks the db up a bit, occasionally hear curlews/oyster catchers in the field out front but that’s about it.

 

[Ken1951]

Just installed the NIOSH App on my iPhone 15Pro. Heat is currently running in the house and it shows right around 41-43db. Ours is a SF house on .7 acres in a very non-urban area. Room is our GR with an 18 foot ceiling. No wind outside, my wife is on her way back from NoVA and the dog is asleep in another room. Heat just cut off and NIOSH shows right around 29 to 31db.

 

[BeepPeep_61]

In my hi-fi room, underground, using the Niosh app with Samsung S21, I measure around 19 dBA in the morning

 

[Mart68]

But you do care. You are here. On the most OCD forum to exist.

Hey - when we are putting isolation devices under our grounding boxes then we will be there.

Actually it's the opposite of OCD here.

 

[Mart68]

25dB in my room. At least until the neighbour starts hammering something. But he doesn't usually start that until after 2300.

 

[Deleted member 48726]

Hey - when we are putting isolation devices under our grounding boxes then we will be there.

Actually it's the opposite of OCD here.

True.