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Does It have to be loud?

Are you also under the impression that when people (or manufacturers) demo their equipment, they maintain sound pressure levels between 90-100 Dba. In general this is done in rooms being too small, and therefore the room will heavily interact with the sound heard in that room. Often, when you ask to lower the volume, the actual result is better, and –most likely- provides you with the information you were looking for. So, my question here is, do you also prefer to listen in the 90-100 dba range? Or do you –like myself- like to listen in the 70-90 dba sound pressure range? Of course, I’m referring to sound pressure levels at the listening position, which –in my case- is about 4 meter away from the speaker. 

128x128han_n
john_g
80 posts
 
I like to listen at the level I imagine the music would be played at if it were a live performance. I’m listening to John Fahey play acoustic guitar right now (with a pickup and amp, it sounds like, on his record of hymns, "Yes! Jesus Loves Me"), and after reading this got out my SPL meter and read about 80 dB on the loud parts.

I like orchestral music to be loud in the loud when it should be, of course. Of course there’s a lot of dynamic range in orchestral music. I wonder what concert hall SPLs are like.

A lot of the 50s and 60s-era acoustic jazz I like doesn’t need to be very loud to be enjoyable because it’s not too difficult to distinguish among four or five instruments.

Now I’m curious and will test myself and the music to see what works.
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
What’s being measured, average SPL or peaks? And how measured, e.g., test tone, music?
john_g
80 posts
 
Just put on "The Dave Brubeck Quartet in Europe," and Brubeck's big piano chords are peaking at 80-83 dB, and the applause at the end of each track is irritatingly loud at 85 db. It seems I need the volume up a bit to hear the bass, although that might be a deficiency of my system or (rather small 12.5' x 15') listening room.
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helomech
1,506 posts
 
I listen at 50 to 60dB measured at listening chair.
70dB is pretty loud and I only rarely play music that loud, and 80dB peaks is as loud as I ever play music at home.(mainly opera climaxes.)
Are you using a real meter or one of those gimmicky phone apps? Is it set to fast C-weighting or A-weighting? Is your meter placed near your head? 
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