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Does It have to be loud?

Are you also under the impression that when people (or manufacturers) demo their equipment, they maintain sound pressure levels between 90-100 Dba. In general this is done in rooms being too small, and therefore the room will heavily interact with the sound heard in that room. Often, when you ask to lower the volume, the actual result is better, and –most likely- provides you with the information you were looking for. So, my question here is, do you also prefer to listen in the 90-100 dba range? Or do you –like myself- like to listen in the 70-90 dba sound pressure range? Of course, I’m referring to sound pressure levels at the listening position, which –in my case- is about 4 meter away from the speaker. 

han_n

Showing 2 responses by onhwy61

onhwy61's avatar
onhwy61
5,284 posts
 
There are other threads on Audiogon where members report their typical listening levels and IIRC most people are listening at far less than 95dB.  Having a system (and room) that is capable of cleanly playing at over 100dB is nice, but it's just not essential for most audiophiles.  It is similar to the situation with deep bass.  Most audiophiles would be perfectly happy with a system that only played flat down to 55Hz, but did everything else excellently.  Are they missing some element of the music -- sure, but that doesn't mean they can't enjoy the music they have.

Why would anyone want true concert level volume in their domestic living space?  There's a reason you don't put a concert grand piano in your living room.
onhwy61's avatar
onhwy61
5,284 posts
 
Depending upon the specific bass design a loudspeaker that is flat to 55Hz could be down 6-12dB at 27Hz.  That would indicate strong bass response into at least the mid 30Hz area.  This might not satisfy classical organ fans, but it would more than cover bass guitar, most synthesizers and bass drum frequencies.
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