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Understanding the impact of LUFS in relation to set dBSPL. Trying to protect my hearing and kind of frustrated.

icysuspect

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Jan 22, 2023
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Equipment:
Apple AirPods Pro 2
Philips Fidelio X2HR
Qudelix 5K
Apple lightning-to-3.5mm dongle
Apple Music
iPhone 13 Pro Max

One feature I really like on Apple Music is Sound Check. This normalizes volume to -16 LUFS. With oratory1990 preset activated, I’ve set the Qudelix 5K to 85dbSPL with impedance at 30ohm and sensitivity at 100dB/mW as instructed in the manual. For all intents and purposes this should be a comfortable listening volume for extended periods and the close adherence to the Harman target should represent fairly good vocals.

This sounds too quiet and voices sound severely recessed to the point of unintelligibility on certain tracks. Others it’s okay, but it never sounds all that loud at all. For reference, my Apple AirPods Pro 2 are comfortable loud at just 69db and plenty intelligible at volumes around 55db, according to headphone volume measurement. At 80db they are too loud, and 85 is close to my pain threshold. After using them, I notice my hearing becomes more sensitive, it’s almost like opposite hearing loss. It’s an effect I quite enjoy.

If I set the Fidelio up to 90dBSPL, they sound better and most things become relatively easier to hear, and it isn’t until I reach 95dbSPL they become what I would call loud. Tracks by Novo Amor are a great example of the difference, I can barely tell what he’s saying on the Fidelio and the AirPods render it with fantastic clarity and warmth.

At first I thought it may be because of the noise cancellation the AirPods offer, but this effect is stilll pretty noticeable even with ambient mode on. The sound floor of my room is 35db with occasional peaking at 45db. My HomePod minis, while sounding fairly terrible, are plenty intelligible at 70dBSPL and peak around 80dBSPL which becomes “pretty loud”.

At second thought, I used amirms sensitivity and ohm measurements which translate to a universal 4db increase in volume. This led to a more accurate feeling of noise-to-reading ratio, but the AirPods still feel so much louder. Perhaps the Fidelio listed values are too conservative.

At third thought, I decided to examine the incoming RMS signal in select music in Qudelix app with Sound Check turned on. Most songs hover around -4db for loud portions or Indy’s mix music, with more dynamic music reaching down to -8db and select tracks, like Novo Amor, going as low as -16.

Taking into account these findings, there seems to be as much 8db variance from listed values to heard values, and this correlates to some extent and yet…

Disabling Apple Music Sound Check is weird. When set to 85db everything becomes way louder. Some songs are comfortably loud, and then Bangarang by Skrillex or other undynamic music comes on comes on and is just painful. There is so much volume variance it makes listening to a playlist unenjoyable. I also noticed that the RMS levels don’t fluctuate from enabled to disabled as much as I’d expect, but things do tend to stay closer to zero and occasionally exceed it.

It still feels like I have to turn up the Fidelios a heck of a lot more to enjoy them and I’m terrified doing so is going to damage my hearing. I’ve already come across a situation where my hearing threshold felt like it changes for a day after a long night of Fidelio listening and I can’t tell if this is some sort of placebo or what.

I love the AirPods but they give me ear infections and I’ve tried a host of wireless ANC headsets which all have just way too much bass. I like bass, I like Harman bass especially, that might be the only thing I’m pretty sure about. I thought the fidelios would be perfect but they feel so quiet sometimes and vocals are hard to hear. The thing is, I love the huge soundstage and bombastic yet controlled bass response. Even wires up without an EQ they sound nice.

I’ve come to the conclusion I legitimately have no idea what is going on here.

TLDR:

What the heck is my actual volume on X2 with Sound Check enabled??
 

Hayabusa

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How do you measure/conclude the levels of the AirPods v.s. Fidelio.?
In ear v.s over ear does not make the comparison easy..
 
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icysuspect

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How do you measure/conclude the levels of the AirPods v.s. Fidelio.?
In ear v.s over ear does not make the comparison easy..
For AirPod Pros, the headphone volume measurement included in iOS. I suspect it’s fairly accurate since it is a new Apple iPhone using new Apple AirPods Pro 2 listening to music mastered for and via Apple Music lossless.

For Fidelios, the Qudelix v2.0 update allows inputting impedance and ohms into an EQ preset to estimate volume. With digital volume at 100%, using Qudelix on-device control to set SPL and monitoring RMS through the input tab on the app for it. Likely not 100% accurate but should be ballpark unless I’ve overlooked something (and I must have based on this post.
 

Hayabusa

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For AirPod Pros, the headphone volume measurement included in iOS. I suspect it’s fairly accurate since it is a new Apple iPhone using new Apple AirPods Pro 2 listening to music mastered for and via Apple Music lossless.

For Fidelios, the Qudelix v2.0 update allows inputting impedance and ohms into an EQ preset to estimate volume. With digital volume at 100%, using Qudelix on-device control to set SPL and monitoring RMS through the input tab on the app for it. Likely not 100% accurate but should be ballpark unless I’ve overlooked something (and I must have based on this post.
Question is what is the reference. Is it at your "tympanic membrane " or in the ear channel at the output of the earbud or outside the ear at the driver of the fidelio? It can make the differences you describe. (may be try one ear with the earbud and one with the fidelio and match level by hand? :) )
 

Oso Polar

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At third thought, I decided to examine the incoming RMS signal in select music in Qudelix app with Sound Check turned on. Most songs hover around -4db for loud portions or Indy’s mix music, with more dynamic music reaching down to -8db and select tracks, like Novo Amor, going as low as -16.
So, it sounds like 85dB that Qudelix calculates is the expected sound level at full scale input signal, basically a peak volume, correct? And actual sound level of loud portions will be 85 - (16..4) = 69 - 81 dB which is not very loud in itself - and average volume will be even less, so your experience seem to be expected? I've tried with HD600 and my Qudelix (using 300 / 97 values for estimation) and sound volume at 85 dB was not loud at all (using Spotify with volume normalization enabled and set to "Normal").

For AirPod Pros, the headphone volume measurement included in iOS.
But what kind of volume this is? May be Apple reports 85 dB as an actual average volume - it will be much louder, as expected.
 
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