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 4 responses by ghdprentice

Over the next few decades as electric vehicles are replaced by internal combustion should make a big difference. The real question is when will internal combustion get outlawed so the fast and furious idiots get off the freeway. We live a half mile from the freeway and those idiots produce so much noice it is unbelievable.

i suspect this transition will occur faster than anyone thought… well has to.
@rickderuter


Seriously? That sounds terrible. You live in a house or apartment? Is it inside or outside? This cannot be good for you. I would be hunting it down.
“G.M. has set a goal of selling one million E.V.s a year by 2025. It also hopes to produce only electric cars and trucks by 2035.”


‘Ford promised that all of its passenger cars in Europe would be “zero-emissions capable all-electric or plug-in hybrid” by mid-2026, before ramping up its ambitions to be “completely all-electric by 2030”.”

”The government of Japan is looking to set a goal of ending sales of gasoline only fueled cars by the mid-2030s”

Hyundai Unveils EV Platform, Will Have 23 Global Electric Vehicles by 2025”

“INTRODUCING THE ALL-ELECTRIC FORD F-150 LIGHTNING”

I worked in Wuxi, China where most of the 7 million residents travel by motor scooter. All electric.