Noise floors


I'd like to address an issue that every single audiophile experiences, that being inherent/ambient steady state noise floors. Here we spend so much effort and money on our equipment in order to lower noise floor and increase resolution, transparency, only to lose some percentage of it on relatively high ambient noise floors. By this I mean the noise generated internally by home, hvac systems and so much more, add to that external, outside the home generated noise. Measuring over many years, over large variables, lowest readings of mid 20db to highest mid 50db in my dedicated listening room, these are steady state readings, any particular system in house may activate and or outdoor generated noises, which are even more variable, may kick in raising if from here.

And so, while we can address both these internal and external generated noise floors to some extent, we can't rid ourselves entirely of them. I presume there are widely varying levels of these noise floors for each of us, and it should be accounted for in reviews or evaluations of equipment. And could be reason for trusting only long term reviews, with varying noise floor levels within one's listening room, short term listening could have taken place during time of best or worse case room noise floor.

But mostly what bothers me is, here all this effort and money spent on equipment in attempt to lower noise floor, and so much of that lost by relatively ridiculous levels of steady state and/or ambient noise. Makes one think about getting closed back headphones, or moving out to extremely remote area to home with minimal internally generated noise. To think how much better  the very system I presently have would sound in that environment!


sns

Showing 3 responses by oldhvymec

I think that is what most here are addressing. Ambient, Gear and Shock sound. The occasional noisier than usual car or helicopter or fog horn or gun shots or fireworks, or dog barking or the neighbor being a dick or Or OR.. LOL

Total noise is total noise, just like grove noise it's there just depends on the record, it's as simple as that.

I don't like dead quiet rooms that is for darn sure.. Clap test ready I say..
No heavy report, your close.
Same here ZERO there is no floor noise. Turn mine all the way up on any source including my phono stage. No hiss nothing. You can turn the Lpads all the way UP on my speakers (they can be a noisy), the treble and bass, all the way up, no noise from any driver at 1 foot..

You can hear me blowing on the stylus if I do that.. Otherwise, silence.

Routing usually fixes any issue I have.. Except the cable box.. POS noisy Power supply.

Even my C20 (Samra Touch) 60 year old Preamp is dead quiet..
DEAD quiet.. Good quiet matched valves.. Magic..
Ambient noise in my domiciles is from mid 20 to 50 just like the OP

The shops high 20s to 75 or more. There is a railroad and a shipping lane to Stockton and Sacramento under 1/4 mile away. Any Tule fog. LOL It’s loud.. Dead of summer HONK! No listening then or the heavy commute detours via by my house, train, tule fog, emergency sirens and overhead choppers.. Holy $hit it’s loud.

I got a neighbor I been torturing too, UP HIS AMBIENT, noise.. LOL
BUT I like his girlfriend.. She bakes me angle food cake..

Regards