I use the C-weighting because I recall reading an article (Stereophile I believe) stating that was the correct method of measuring audio sound levels in your listening room.
What is your preferred volume level?
- Thread starter BayStBroker
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I use the C-weighting because I recall reading an article (Stereophile I believe) stating that was the correct method of measuring audio sound levels in your listening room.
Yeah the Mahler we heard exceeded all that and got your cats out of the house. I have told Spirit I am not going to his place unless he lets me crank the volume up. I seriously think if someone finds his system noisy at 85 db levels, his room is seriously bad (provided he doesn't have tinnitus or something).
That is probably correct, but since the NIOSH guideline that you follow are A-weighted, you might want to have a dBA meter in house as well. If I'm not mistaken, the readings should be a bit lower especially on rock, since the A-weighting gives less weight to the bass frequencies dominant in that genre, so you may be able to crank it up a bit more.
BTW, I adjust my SPL levels for rock just as you do, for the same reasons. For orchestral I go higher, since peaks are much shorter than the fairly constant level of rock that is unrelenting on the ears.
Audioseduction
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I play between 80-100 on C-weighting. All depends on what I'm playing and the mood. I guess the Avg. is around 92 C-weighting.
Audiophile bill
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Ha. True. My cats are a good barometer of how loud I am playing. They don't like more than 85db and don't like big dynamic swings with crashes of cymbals and tympani. They are particularly partial to a violin concerto on a Decca SXL I have found.
GaryProtein
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I have an AudioControl SA-3051 RTA/dB meter that is always on. I sit about 20-21 feet from my speakers and the microphone is kept a few feet off to the front and side of me and registers very close to what it registers when mounted on a stand in my seating position.
I usually listen at about 85 dB peaks with maximum orchestral peaks in the mid 90's. When I'm really rocking, occasionally it's more but not for extended periods.
I usually listen at about 85 dB peaks with maximum orchestral peaks in the mid 90's. When I'm really rocking, occasionally it's more but not for extended periods.
BlueFox
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Depends on the music. For string quartets, it ranges between high 60s to mid 70s. Generally, the recording it what determines that as I keep the pre at 45. For rock on Friday and Saturday night, the pre will be in the 50s and 60s with an SPL in the 80s or low 90s.
This is measured at my chair, which is around 8 feet from each speaker.
This is measured at my chair, which is around 8 feet from each speaker.
GaryProtein
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For recordings of small groups of musicians, I prefer to have it sound like they are in my room. For large groups like orchestras, I like it to sound like I am in the concert hall.
I have had string quartets perform in my living room. It's surprisingly loud -- 95+ dB at times.
My daughter's flute playing can be 95 dB. When she practices the flute and especially the piccolo, she often wears ear protection because the volume next to the instrument at her ear can be very loud.
BlueFox
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still-one
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I am stunned at the levels some of you listen at. I would worry about hearing loss/ringing if I listened at those levels.
I have walked out of movie theaters and left rooms when attending demos in peoples homes and in stores when they decide to show off.
I have walked out of movie theaters and left rooms when attending demos in peoples homes and in stores when they decide to show off.
Those SPL numbers don't surprise me at all, Gary.
I once went with Peter A. to a chamber concert in a large living room, sonatas for cello and piano, and we both estimated that peaks from just these two instruments hit around 100 dB. It was just really loud, even though not in any way subjectively uncomfortable to the ears.
Last year I went to a concert of modern avantgarde at 'The Lilipad' in Cambridge, Mass., a small venue with 90 seats and relatively low ceiling; I sat rather close to the musicians. A woodwind quartet (flute, oboe, bassoon and clarinet, I believe) playing there hit easily 100 dB peaks as well. String quartet music in the same concert hit estimated peaks of 90 dB, which is the level I listen to at home (with an 80-85 dB average in loud movements). I would assume that in a living room a string quartet could hit peaks of 95+ dB indeed.
Even in a regular small concert hall where you sit a bit further away from the stage I would expect a string quartet to be playing in the 70-80 dB range. High 60s to mid 70s, as BlueFox's listening levels are for that music, seems really low; you would have to sit quite far away for that.
I find it kind of funny that some here with very large speakers report such low listening levels, while I seem to 'blast away', comparatively speaking, with my mini-monitor/subwoofer system (see my post on thread p. 1 for levels) -- good acoustic room treatment helps for clean sound at these levels. And no, I am not worried about hearing loss under my circumstances, given that I strictly follow NIOSH recommendations. I wish I had treated my ears so well all my life, they would be in better shape now, even though I do quite well compared to average. These days I also protect my ears during vacuuming and during long trans-atlantic flights; while I did not do this in the past I did manage to be smart enough to wear earplugs in dance clubs. I may have incurred some damage during a few sporadic rock concerts though; these days I avoid these stupid ear-killers altogether.
MusicDirector
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Same here, plenty of times.
You should also realize the levels some listen with headphones or in ear monitors at, it's even more frightening.
I used to listen much louder in my old place because I had to play above the noise of the ref and air conditioner compressors. At 40dB which is just above the point where things get too quiet and eery, I don't have to anymore. That's not to say that just like having a fast car, I don't gun it. I would have to be in a very different mood, either very pissed or the other extreme. Well, that and maybe just be in the mood to enjoy the 'ol handy work. I was very irresponsible with my hearing in my youth. Guns, clubs, concerts, motorcycles. I did develop mild ringing which persists today. I just decided to not tempt fate. So far so good.
slowgeezr
Active member
This conversation has sparked me to download an app in order to start measuring at what levels I listen at. So, while listening to Coltrane at a satisfying level for me at the moment, the meter is displaying minimum values at 62dB, average at 68dB and peaks at 76 dB. Now, at a sound level I consider to be loud, but still enjoyable, the same corresponding values are 55 (must have started reading between tracks), 71 and 79dB.