How loud do you like your music?

[solderdude]

Mostly I would be playing at 70-75dB average (all evening music enjoyment) or even lower (background level) but can also enjoy music (shortly) even at around 90dB (= comfortable loud) or even louder for short moments (95dB) depending on the recording.
So... no idea how this would work with this poll. My 'range' is roughly between 70 and 90dB with some (short moments) above that level.
There would have to be an option:

I enjoy music level independent.

Those 'SPL' meters are not really suited for determining SPL levels with music so would not trust the numbers coming from those (unless they are real meters) nor the apps in phones.
These might work fine to determine average noise levels but not music levels.

 

[Cars-N-Cans]

Ok did a little test.
I gave it time to see what it does at silence at first,about a minute and then started playing it.
At around 2.30 of the logger I cranked it a little louder and same at 4.00 and then lower it again.
See what happens:

View attachment 249664

Its probably just the 1/f spectrum combined with the repeating beat. I have seen similar numbers listening to music, for what its worth. 85 dBA will be around 110 dBZ peaks. Reset it and eventually it will reach similar dBZ peaks from the low frequency content (e.g. bass guitar, kick drums, synth beats, etc.). Maybe this is stating the obvious, but like the octave spacing of notes, the low frequency content is naturally a good bit higher just due to how our hearing works and preferences for bass. Things that naturally end up being intrinsic to most forms of music.

The 65 dBZ with "silence" I would say is typical if you live in a more urban area. Lot of low frequency garbage that we normally don't hear from machinery and traffic. In my location its about 65-70 dBZ in a quiet room just from nearby roads and industrial areas.

 

[hege]

Mostly I would be playing at 70dBA average but can also enjoy music (shortly) even around 90dBA or even louder for short moments depending on the recording.
So... no idea how this would work with this poll.

The "rules" are quite clear to me? It specifically excludes how much you can stand for short times. Post the upper limit you think is enjoyable for long durations and generally satisfies you.

 

[Sokel]

The 65 dBZ with "silence" I would say is typical if you live in a more urban area. Lot of low frequency garbage that we normally don't hear from machinery and traffic. In my location its about 65-70 dBZ in a quiet room just from nearby roads and industrial areas.

As you can see my noise floor now is about 39dbA,drops aroun 33dbA at night.
What you say is true,sometimes I watch the RTA window going 40-50db at 15 and 20Hz,where no evident sound is heard.

 

[solderdude]

It is about SPL you'd enjoy for at least the length of an album.

The "rules" are quite clear to me? It specifically excludes how much you can stand for short times. Post the upper limit you think is enjoyable for long durations and generally satisfies you.

In the 'rules' there was no statement to post the upper limit. There was only a mention to also include dips and peaks according to a meter with a specific song.

Acc. to the 'rules' (enjoyment and average levels) I would say between 70 and 80.
On average could say 75 perhaps but it would be between 70 and 80 for this song under the mentioned 'rules' and under your assumed rule the answer would be 80dB but that would be incorrect assuming enjoyment is the main ingredient.

This is the whole issue. People can say I listen to 90-96dB and they might not be measuring or used different songs, different duration, different weighting, at 1m instead of listening spot... So what people claim to listen to may differ a lot from what someone else 'measures' or does.

For Killdozzer this might give some insight, and maybe to others but it says nothing about the correctness of random people saying something about their listening habits.

 

[Cars-N-Cans]

As you can see my noise floor now is about 39dbA,drops aroun 33dbA at night.
What you say is true,sometimes I watch the RTA window going 40-50db at 15 and 20Hz,where no evident sound is heard.

The A-weighted measurement in a quiet room will be much lower given that the shorter wavelengths are easier to exclude from the house/apartment and dissipate much more easily. The lower frequencies are usually much harder to keep out in traditional homes with wood frames and single-pane glass. Concrete construction with double-pane glass is better, but still not perfect. Edit: Another issue is the modal propagation, which happens with ambient low frequency sound just like with speakers. The SPL levels will be higher at certain points in the room at certain frequencies, esp. near boundaries like walls.

Given how well low frequencies propagate and how much energy each cycle contains its probably not a coincidence that the ears are insensitive at low frequencies. In a quiet room the low frequency noise pollution here is largely inaudible, but in the presence of white noise (e.g. window fan or central heat) the formation of beat-notes actually allow a good idea of the true SPL levels from the low frequencies. Its a good 10-15 dB higher than what is perceived (as one would expect). Most of this is screened out by the ear's reduced sensitivity below about 100 Hz, which is probably beneficial at night.

 

[hege]

but it says nothing about the correctness of random people saying something about their listening habits.

Well if you read this and the originating thread, it's nothing we don't already know. Take the results as you will.

 

[killdozzer]

I'll just drop in to say thanks to all the great contributions and constructive criticism. I think most approaches would have one or two shortcomings, so I just settled for this one taking into account it's not perfect. I tried to level our answers by using the same tune. I see some members picked their own music and that's fine. I guess we'll always have some variations. Still, it's interesting to see that the more votes we get, the more we tilt towards the lower end of the offered scale.

@solderdude I'm sure it could also be done in some other ways, but I tried to even it out - same music and average SPL measured. For this purpose, I guess what you say about being in between 70 and 80. I agree about randomness and I tried to deal with some of it - I proposed the weight, spot of measuring, music material, duration of the listening session. I also get peaks when I listen to music, but I tried to eliminate them. That's why I asked for an average on the same song and why I asked people to start measuring mid song, since I've noticed average may take into account the silence before the song and you'll end up with a lower average.

 

[killdozzer]

Funny, I have been blasting Steely Dan in the car all week, so I'll get out the SPL meter and get you some numbers tonight for Hey Nineteen in the listening room.

Thanks! Since you say 'blasting' I'm interested what will you find!

 

[killdozzer]

IPhone: SPLnFFT App. dB A weighted/slow
Centered at 8' from speakers, head level.

It depends a lot on musical genre and especially recording quality.
I won't crank up a poor recording or on certain genres.

Checked the "Around 90 dB" box.

Song used during measurement: Travis Larson - Axe To Grind

I'm amazed!! I got 74dB average. You really listen the entire length of this song around 90dB 8 feet from the speakers?!? Do you have an occupation that affects hearing, like a shipyard or something?

 

[JayGilb]

I'm amazed!! I got 74dB average. You really listen the entire length of this song around 90dB 8 feet from the speakers?!? Do you have an occupation that affects hearing, like a shipyard or something?

No major hearing loss. Some high frequency loss from FOH work in my youth and the usual loss due to age. (I'm 58)
The ability to create high SPL with minimal distortion is another factor. I have friends whose systems would be taxed to produce that type of level and I would find the distortion unpleasant.

 

[Dal1as]

Age and hearing loss is a good point. I'm 51 and my hearing is actually pretty good. Able to hear 15khz tested last year. Shot a lot, been around aircraft, loud music but was mostly safe with hearing protection. Just can't hear the wife.

I also think type of system and room size factor in.

I just setup rew and the mic1 with the mic about a foot from my left ear. Played Hey19 and a few other songs. Averaged around 80dbs at my desired range.

The average changed though after 15 or so minutes as my ears became accustomed to the sound.

Another factor I thought of.

I threw on SRV and busted up to around 90 lbs. Then Heavan and Hell and could average around 95 dbs but it was almost concert/earplug level. Lol

I forget to move it over to c weighting but I was probably hitting 120 db peaks in the bass.

Fun stuff. So room size, system, hearing, will all factor into this.

I use aura3d 7.3.4 in a 16x22 room. Ears 11ft from center.

 

[sarumbear]

AMHA, you should also specify the position, distance and height of the SPL-meter from the speakers to get meaningful data.

The OP wants to know your listening level at the listening position, not how loud your speakers are.

 

[sarumbear]

• I'm interested in how loud you enjoy your music. For this purpose I propose A weighted, slow SPL measuring.
• I'm also proposing a clean, well produced song that is not bass heavy to avoid subjective impressions of low frequencies (Hey Nineteen - Steely Dan).
• Since music material varies in dB, I propose you start the SPL meter mid-song to avoid the gadget taking the silence before the song into account.
• You can put dips and peaks into the comment. In the poll, you should enter average SPL. This is one more reason why I propose a song - to avoid having additional variations due to different material.
• Sources, mastering, edition etc. shouldn't play a major role here. You should just turn it up the way you like it and then measure.
• The question is about enjoying loud music, not how much you can put up with for a short period of time. It is about SPL you'd enjoy for at least the length of an album.
• Not all smartphones are reliable, but some are. If you could just enter whether you took measures with a phone, that would be fine.
• This is about the amount of loudness you like, so imagine you live on a prairie with no neighbors. It's about what you enjoy, not what is allowed.
• Feel free to add numbers for movies and TV in the comments.

One other thing I almost forgot. It has to be at your listening position. If you're further away from the speakers, you'll need to go louder in order to get what you like at your sitting place, but I'm interested in what reaches you, what you actually hear.

There is a specific measurement unit called Equivalent Continuous Sound Level Definition (used to be called Leq) which is designed for what you had in mind. Slow and fast are a legacy settings carried over from the VU metre days. I think it’s better if we use modern measurement units.

Equivalent Continuous Sound Level Definition (IEC 801-22-16) logarithm of the ratio of a given time-mean-square, standard frequency-weighted, sound pressure for a stated time period, to the square of the reference sound pressure of 20 μPa. Equivalent continuous sound level in decibels is ten times the logarithm to the base ten of that ratio.

Note 1 : if a frequency-weighting is not specified, the A-frequency weighting is understood.

Leq, LAeq and LAeq,T : Equivalent Continuous Sound Levels

Leq (equivalent continuous sound level) is the steady sound level, which over the measurement period has the same total energy as the fluctuating noise.

www.acoustic-glossary.co.uk

Having said that, the Leq I measured was 79dB over the length of the said song. The mean value was around 75dB. A weighted slow reading was within a few dB of Leq value.

**What motivated me; I've seen people throwing around numbers like 90-96dB and even higher, yet, nearing 80dB average is simply too much for me. I wanted to see the real-world numbers.

I agree with you and voted accordingly. SPL over 90dB is a health hazard. This is what the UK regulations say.

The level at which employers must provide hearing protection and hearing protection zones is 85 dB(A) (daily or weekly average exposure) and the level at which employers must assess the risk to workers' health and provide them with information and training is 80 dB(A). There is also an exposure limit value of 87 dB(A), taking account of any reduction in exposure provided by hearing protection, above which workers must not be exposed.

HSE - Noise: Regulations

The aim of the Noise Regulations is to ensure that workers' hearing is protected from excessive noise at their place of work, which could cause them to lose their hearing and/or to suffer from tinnitus (permanent ringing in the ears).

www.hse.gov.uk

 

[hege]

SPL over 90dB is a health hazard. This is what the UK regulations say.

So is junk food, but everything in moderation is fine as long as you know and accept what you are doing.

 

[DSJR]

I voted 80dB, but thinking for a few seconds after, I reckon that's absolute peaks now I have a person called a 'Next Door Neighbour' who tells me if she ever hears the stereo playing, even if it's only for half an hour per week (yes, really!) Any other listening is via headphones and it just ain't the same...

 

[antcollinet]

As a lot of people are REW users here it's handy to measure with the SPL meter (after calibrating it of course) and also see the results with the logger included in the same tool.
(as I did on the other thread)

Doesn't using a calibrated mic give you a calibrated SPL meter?

If not, how do you calibrate it?

 

[Sokel]

Doesn't using a calibrated mic give you a calibrated SPL meter?

If not, how do you calibrate it?

My understanding is that is calibrated for FR not SPL.
Better still if both.
If not you use the "calibrate " tool of REW's SPL meter.

 

[Daverich4]

General listening is around 75 dB although by the second Scotch it tends to drift up to 80-85 dB.

 

[antcollinet]

My understanding is that is calibrated for FR not SPL.
Better still if both.
If not you use the "calibrate " tool of REW's SPL meter.

If you run a freqency sweep, and use a mic to record the frequency response - what is it measuring other than SPL at each frequency?