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How can I establish a reference level?

With now 350+ hours on my new rear end (I hope it is OK to call the new speakers that, given the common use of the expression front end for the source) I am trying to understand gain and how it relates to listening level. The terms reference level, anchor level, gain structure, dB, dBU, crest factor, etc. all form an ill defined blur. My interest is in protecting one of my five senses. No amount of money and equipment swapping will ever reclaim lost hearing! Now with oodles of distortion free headroom I need to be careful.

Specifically -
JBL 4367 - 94 dB, 300W
Benchmark AHB2 in bridged mono 380W
SONY XA5400ES Compact Disc Player

What I find is -24 dB set on the preamp (with 0 dB being no voltage gain or cut with respect to the source signal) is too loud on most recordings - especially Pop and Jazz. On the 1964 SONY Classical recording of Petrushka, Ormandy (SBK 47664) a gain of -24 dB is pretty realistic as it is on many other classical recordings.
Some recordings sound loud no matter what the volume. Take Jimmy Smith with Kenny Burrell (Phono 870267) for example (listening to him now @ -34 dB)
Much of my listening is far-field, though the speakers are only about 6' apart in an open floor plan of about 1200 sq. feet.

The inverse square law relating to how loudness decreases with distance from the source - how is it affected by a stereo pair? Get on axis near-field with the speakers and just try and keep your mouth shut. Awesome!

So I have a new definition of LOUD and I want to be careful and have some consistency.
I feel -24 dB is a good reference level and am wondering how that relates live sound and the recording process.




mikewerner

Showing 1 response by yage

yage
399 posts
 

@mikewerner 

Very interesting. i found that when I optimized my playback chain with low noise, low distortion gear (Benchmark DAC3 B + HPA4 + AHB2), I'm able to listen without fatigue at higher volume levels and for as long as I want.

 

I've owned gear in the past that output higher distortion and they always sounded good at certain volume levels or with certain genres but the Benchmark system lets me enjoy everything I want to listen to without problem.

 

In any case, if you're interested in how some studios may set their reference levels, here's an article from Sound On Sound - 'Establishing Project Studio Reference Levels'. Maybe you've already come across it yourself. Personally, I listen to music around 72 dB average SPL C weighted when measured with my RadioShack meter. The volume knob setting to achieve this varies with source material (e.g. -20 dB on most classical, -26 on most jazz, and -30 on contemporary pop music). I call it comfortably loud.

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