Let's get honest with SPL

[killdozzer]

If you measure, what is the SPL at your listening position?

This has often been mentioned here and there, but I'd like to compile it and under the same criteria for everyone; only if you have an SPL meter and you measured at your listening position.

I have to compare your answers, it's strange to me that someone would reach 96dB... I read what Amir wrote about Metas not being happiest little speaker at 96dB, but even approaching 90dB and the sound is overwhelming. Does anyone really ever listen at 96 or over? Even if it's just a few songs...

 

[Palladium]

I don't have a calibrated dedicated meter, but 60-70dB average according to an SPL app on my 2 phones.

75dB is already uncomfortable for my ears.

 

[abdo123]

For music I have the loudness of my system normalized to -16 LUFS and I can comfortably listen to my system at -15dBFS max volume (peaking at 90dBSPL for a song with -16 LUFS loudness) for 30 to 40 minutes at a time.

I think it's also dependent on room acoustics and material, if the sound is just not good at 75dBSPL turning the volume up will just increase your uncomfort.

 

[fpitas]

Next you'll want honest answers about our car horsepower.

 

[killdozzer]

Next you'll want honest answers about our car horsepower.

No, don't worry! You can spin the yarn on those.

I don't have a calibrated dedicated meter, but 60-70dB average according to an SPL app on my 2 phones.

75dB is already uncomfortable for my ears.

I'm just slightly over that, but yes. 86dB is quite loud.

For music I have the loudness of my system normalized to -16 LUFS and I can comfortably listen to my system at -15dBFS max volume (peaking at 90dBSPL for a song with -16 LUFS loudness) for 30 to 40 minutes at a time.

I think it's also dependent on room acoustics and material, if the sound is just not good at 75dBSPL turning the volume up will just increase your uncomfort.

This makes sense. Noise is harder to withstand when loud. Still, listening at aprox. 85dB the sound still seems to be very clean and nice, just too loud. I tried this with some of those famously produced records like Steely Dan, but 86dB is the ceiling.

 

[Vacceo]

I level match my speakers at 85 db for all channels at the listening position.

Still, I very rarely listen at that level.

 

[kongwee]

More interesting if you are at 96dB SPL listening position, and you turn -0.5dB at your source, what is the result of dB SPL at your listening position.

 

[fpitas]

More interesting if you are at 96dB SPL listening position, and you turn -0.5dB at your source, what is the result of dB SPL at your listening position.

Unless it's 95.5dB, something is very fishy.

 

[abdo123]

Unless it's 95.5dB, something is very fishy.

and / or the equipment is not solid state.

 

[fpitas]

and / or the equipment is not solid state.

That would represent massive non-linearity. But yes, maybe some audiophile stuff is that bad.

 

[hege]

There's similar topics already, you'll get just the same vague answers with mobile apps, no defined weighting etc.

"96dB" alone means nothing. Is the value A-weighted? C/Z-weighted? Average? Peak? All this also depends on how bassy music you listen, if you apply some house curve, amount of acoustic treatment etc.

90-95dB(A) is the max I physically like to listen when rocking out. It's loud, but I have an extremely treated/damped room which doesn't attack your ears like an echoing untreated room would. Now depending on the bass, C/Z-weighting for the same can display up to 110dB(Z). Peak value can be as high as 120dB.

Again, this is not extremely loud (for me), but anything over that I like hearing protection, ie. clubs and concerts.

Anyone truly happy with "60-70dB" is blessed, you really don't need any special gear for that.

edit: Copypaste my usual listening levels blurp:
Engaged listening: LAeq 75 LCeq 90 LZpeak 105
Relaxed/background listening: -10 all
Rocking out: +10 all
(note: this is with average full range music, not pink noise.. yeah I have slightly tilted up bass)

And yeah I use REW/UMIK-1 for measurements. Cross checked with GLM which displays slow dBC/Z.

 

[Rednaxela]

What @hege said.

Would be happy to provide a data point using REW and my UMIK-1, but feel a need for more details re. weighting, program material, duration etc.

 

[RayDunzl]

When Audio Buddy comes over to the house on Beer Saturday...

And we decide on something interesting for the Feature Presentations...

The little JBLs are abandoned and the big rig is fired up.

Tunes will be played at 80-85dBZ SPL moving average and 100-105dBZ SPL peak, according to REW and a UMIK-1 at the listening couch.

He still plays electric guitar on a weekly jam night at some club in town, I ran a PA with him in the band back in 1982.

It's not uncomfortably loud (I'll turn it down if it is), and provides suspension of disbelief to a suitable degree.

Electrically, something like this for peaks from the amps, maybe a little more, if I remember a measurement correctly:

 

[kongwee]

and / or the equipment is not solid state.

That would represent massive non-linearity. But yes, maybe some audiophile stuff is that bad.

In real world, it is not as linear as you think. You can test different tone, not all tone are 1:1 ratio at your listening position.

 

[fpitas]

In real world, it is not as linear as you think. You can test different tone, not all tone are 1:1 ratio at your listening position.

I'd guess it's your measurement technique.

In any event, your ears are distorting badly by 96dB, and you're soon to have hearing loss. So those might be the more important factors.

 

[hege]

Would be happy to provide a data point using REW and my UMIK-1, but feel a need for more details re. weighting, program material, duration etc.

I think slow A-weighting should be used for this kind of loudness comparison to even out program material and bass preferences..

What comes to phone apps... Decibel X on my Xiaomi 10 required +12dB of calibration, so be careful with those.

 

[sajgre]

My app shows cca 10db less than GLM mic. Maybe phone does not measure bass?

 

[fpitas]

My app shows cca 10db less than GLM mic. Maybe phone does not measure bass?

Probably not, unless you have some compensation app.

 

[hege]

My app shows cca 10db less than GLM mic. Maybe phone does not measure bass?

You need to check what weightng is used. Decibel X can choose. But some apps I think only show A (no bass) while GLM is C/Z (with bass).

And unless it's iPhone, it can vary a lot anyway.

 

[AdamG]

C weighted and Slow response is the general used for understanding averages right? I think this is a great question and the results will be interesting. Maybe we need to break it into categories like Tv-Music-Movies. But the OP can make that part of the follow up question if we get enough participants. I have the mic and boom stand ready to go. Will do some measurements today and tonight and see what they are. Good topic @killdozzer