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What decibel level do you listen at?

poor grammer on the question, I know, but I recently downloaded the SPL Meter app for my iPhone and I am shocked by how low the volume level actually is when I listen to music.

I thought I was normally listening at high SPL levels, but I have found that at about 85 it's too loud to think (when it reads 65, you can't talk to someone else in the room). I checked it against my real SPL Meter and the readings are pretty accurate.

I thought I was listening at about 90+ dbl on average, but I have discovered it's actually about 60 to 75 db, and that actually seems loud to me. I guess I'm happy about that, but does anyone else check the Decibel level, and what's considered "Reference Level"?
macdadtexas

Showing 1 response by martykl

martykl
3,578 posts
 
For me, the relevant question is really peak spl at the listening position.  In my case, for a dedicated listening session on my main system, that would usually be 90-95 db, with average spl being lower.  That gets the blood pumping, but there's no issue of "too" loud.

OTOH, in my car, dynamic range is compressed and it feels really loud if peaks ever approach 90 db (courtesy of my iPhone spl app).  I agree with those who've noted system dependency.
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