81-88 db
I'm curious. What is your "normal" listening volume?
I suppose this is an open question to any of you fine people, but I'm exclusively analog myself and particularly curious to hear from those of you who listen to records.
What would you say is your normal listening volume? Perhaps measure it and post the db's?
Thanks!
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Bought a SPL meter about 5 years ago and find it a very valuable tool for high end audio set up and understanding my system better. WTS I tend to stay around 72db with highs peaking to 75 to 76db. My system is a very refined setup with full range speakers, all tube with vinyl played 90% of the time, I am in my mid 70s and spin about 4 to 6 albums most evenings and I have reasonably good hearing. I have never had a preamp with remote control and bought one 2 years ago and while watching my SPL and playing music I was so surprised at the differences in the SPL between the different tracks, now I know why people have to have a remote. As a side note, I would very much like to know how to establish the SPL on my headphone setup. Enjoy the music |
Guys, To simply state a number of decibels is not very informative. It depends upon the distance of your listening position to your speaker, the angle of incidence of your meter, the setting of the meter itself (weighting, etc), how accurately you aim it, if it's at all directional, and whether you use music signal (a mixture of frequencies from bottom to top) or a pure tone (e.g., 1000Hz). Small differences in any of these aspects can make a big difference in the SPL reading. |
"Depends on the situation for me. Got off work from a swing shift at the mill and have had a couple good bourbons, then 90db+. In that moment I want to feel the music to my core. Regular day just enjoying some tunes I am at 70-80db. And a good system will do both with ease."
Yeah totally. Sometimes you just want your hair blown back. |
I measure, sometimes out of curiosity and also when I do shoot-outs. Some records are cut "hotter" than others and the nominal level is higher, which may tilt the preference. To add to the variables that @lewm mentioned, I find that every record has a playback level that seems "just right" for me--too loud and it sounds like the program is being "played at you" and too low a setting, and the room isn’t energized at the bottom end (assuming there are deeper fundamental notes with a double bass, piano, etc.). Room size is important too. I’ve mentioned this elsewhere, but the ability of a system to "scale" in size and dynamics is an important part of replicating a concert experience. I’ve got a big dedicated room, but it simply won’t replicate the sound of a 2,800 seat hall. I tend to listen at modest levels because I can "get it" without cranking it hard--due in part to extreme efficiency of the loudspeaker and the nature of SET amps. I usually use a couple different meters- one, that could be calibrated but I didn’t go to the expense, another as part of a set of digital tools that are on an iPad. Both are pretty close at a "C" weighting and peaks are a little over 80db. Which means that I’m nominally listening at lower levels. I think there are so many variables among each system, room, program material and listener preference that it’s hard to say what the norm is. We have friends that own a big club in town. I was hanging at the board several years ago, and even with ear protection in (I always wear Etymotics at live events), the sound seemed crazy loud- I asked the guy running the board (shouting)-- 104db. Brain death. |
Regular listening chair is 12 feet from speakers but I don’t always listen from the chair. |
So far there have been exactly two posts that specify whether they are measuring with dBA or dBC. Without specifying which standard you are using the numbers are meaningless. Almost all contemporary music that has real bass will measure 10-15 dB higher if you are measuring with dBC than dBA. 10-15 dB is the difference between a reasonable listening level and hearing loss. If you are listening to purely acoustic music without bass or drums the numbers will be much closer. I typically listen at 78-83 dBC. On bass heavy tracks that may go up to the high 80s dBC. Ambient noise levels in my room in the country at night is typically 36 dBC and dBA when the heat is off, the refrigerator is off, and neither the dog nor I are within 4 feet of the mic. Even normally unnoticeable levels of typical noise push that up to 43-48 dBC. I am extremely skeptical of people who claim to enjoy listening at 40-50 dB. Maybe they have bat ears or maybe they just don't actually enjoy hearing the music. I promise they aren't hearing all the music that exists in the recording at those levels. |
No measuring devices involved, but my listening volume is usually fairly low if other family members are nearby. If left on my own, it often depends on the song, but I'll play it loud enough that you'd have to raise your voice a bit to have much of a conversation, but rarely ever push things hard....at least not for very long. |
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Listening variables: Senior citizen |
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) provides a free sound level meter app for both Apple and Android phones. This app is calibrated for levels set by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health: NIOSH Sound Level Meter App | Noise and Hearing Loss | CDC The NIOSH Sound Level Meter and several other apps can be downloaded from your device's App Store by simply typing NIOSH into the search box. Warning: at the rate that federal agencies seem to be disappearing I wouldn't wait long to do this. For Dynaudio loudspeaker owners Dynaudio provides several free apps, including a sound level meter, that can be downloaded from your phone's app store. Simply type Dynaudio into your App Store search box and a list of free apps will appear. Some method of generating a steady state tone at multiple set frequencies will be important and there are a number of CD's and downloads available for this, some free and some costing small amounts. I own and have compared the above two tools and there might be minor response variances between them in your use. What's important though is to use any sound level diagnostic device, including calibrated microphones and software of course, to measure and establish a baseline for future comparisons. When testing or changing any ear or room acoustics having a set of baseline measurements recorded can be invaluable for detection and/or confirmation of differences that might or might not be audible.
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Calm levels (30%): 65-75dB peaks Regular (60%): 83-90dB peaks Stadium Levels (10%): 95-110dB peaks For many, people will either listen louder or softer because their systems render tonality differently at different volumes (e.g. a tube preamp's volume will can determine the amount of "tubey-ness" and often sounds better starting at 11 o'clock"). But for really great systems, tonality, coherence, and realism are retained regardless of the system. |
@sargonicuse Thanks for app suggestion! |
Glad to hear someone out there is doing record shootouts! That's a big part of my listening. I totally agree that every record has an ideal listening level. The level at which it best comes to life. However I find with shootouts that it sometimes helps to play records even louder than that as this can sometimes better reveal their flaws. Not great for hearing though! |
I take a similar approach. Tend to play louder. Try to take breaks. And when the top end isn't right, forget about it. But when the top end is right? And the mids? And the bottom end? When the record is extended well at both and getting everything right in the middle? Man! Sometimes it just seems I can't play it loud enough! |
