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
And to make it even more crystal clear, even macro dynamic range is quite variable. Roon provides a dynamic range index with each recording, this is the difference between the loudest and softest volume on any one track or cd/album, this is variable and measureable. This is a macro volume measurement, in other words the TOTAL volume of all the variable micro dynamic volumes contained within a recording or music, or even any sound for that matter. While one could measure micro dynamic range within the macro dynamic range envelope, far too complex, in any micro second it could be variable, so much low level information and constantly changing with performer's breath or intensity of touch or force on various instruments. Micro dynamics are what gives sound the quality of life. These slight volume differences or shadings will be masked or diminished to some extent by higher noise floor on system or room. 


I just don't get it, so much talk about noise floor/SNR with equipment, virtually none about listening room. I often hear talk of listening room being most important component within audio systems, this aspect of room performance is extremely important to that component. The idea of a black background is both a function of system and room. And now I'm tired of being pedantic.
Ok so invest in an anechoic chamber and above all, remember to take you meds. 
Hilarious, I did mention my preferred listening rooms, don't recall anechoic chamber being one of them. I guess you take plenty of meds, altered mind can't detect micro dynamics, probably listen to all highly compressed recordings at high volume levels. Real head banger! You should really bang some sense into your head.
@sns - yes a quiet room really helps. I am fortunate that my listening room is entirely bordered by other rooms before external walls.

The ducted air con is the noise floor in my listening room.

@millercarbon - I thought you live in or near Seattle, not Portland?
In Brooklyn, anyone can tell you the difference between gun fire and a car backfire. Nobody pays attention to the gun fire.
ambient noise? , clubs In south FLA had rock bands on one stage and Disco on the other side, talk about recreating live stage sound
if my wife’s fussing in the sink at whatever low DB levels weren’t so distracting I could actually hear the music. 
Is it my hearing that is no longer selective?
and then I hear Jennifer Warner’s for the 800th time testing my speaker placement. 
Damn, when I was 19 years old and used headphones at 2am everything sounded perfect.
no need to involve anybody else.
 It’s only when I had enough money to get a house my own and a  “cave” that these ridiculous levels of perfect emerged