> Grand Piano = 110 db SPL, Drum Set = 115 db SPL...
These figures get thrown around a lot, but need to have a dose of moderation applied.
Those figures are correct if you are standing next to the instrument while someone is banging away as loud as they can.
In reality, sound level decreases by the inverse square of distance. (I acknowledge this is a free-field figure and is affected by reflection and absorption.) However, if you are sitting with 2,800 other people in a 30,000 or 40,000 square foot concert hall listening to an unamplified grand piano on the stage, you are not going to hear 110 dB from the instrument.
There are certainly some audiophiles whose goal is to get 100-plus dB average volume levels from their systems. However, in a typical home listening room of perhaps 200 to 400 square feet, many (if not most) people are not interested in bringing the up-close volume of a full symphony into their living room. What they really want is an appropriately scaled representation.
For someone like me, tonal accuracy, low distortion, good imaging and a sense of space are more important than bringing venue volumes into my home.
At best, even the finest, most expensive stereo is just providing clues that suggest reality; they never duplicate it. Each of us varies when it comes to prioritizing the many different clues in order of preference. For me, sheer volume ceased to be near the top of the list a long time ago.
However, ask a hundred audiophiles, and you'll likely get a hundred answers.
