How loud is 110 db spl?

[Guest]

Planning on buying hd 660s, my amp could drive them at a sound pressure level of 110 db SPL(!!). Is that loud enough? Digizoid calls it "fairly loud" but I have no idea wether thats sufficient.

[porina]

Do you want hearing loss? It is loud enough for that. You would be required to have and use hearing protection under EU noise at work regulations by listening at that level for about 90 seconds.

[dalekphalm]

22 minutes ago, OddGreyFox211 said:

Planning on buying hd 660s, my amp could drive them at a sound pressure level of 110 db. Is that loud enough? Digizoid calls it "fairly loud" but I have no idea wether thats sufficient.

110 dB is fuuuuucking loud.

https://www.earq.com/hearing-health/decibels

 

It's about the equivalent of standing beside an active jackhammer or powersaw. Neither of which you'd want to do without hearing protection.

[Guest]

Guys, look at the title, 110 db SPL, not dbA, sorry for confusion

[dalekphalm]

2 minutes ago, OddGreyFox211 said:

Guys, look at the title, 110 db SPL, not dbA, sorry for confusion

http://www.sengpielaudio.com/TableOfSoundPressureLevels.htm

 

Doesn't really change things much.

 

110 dB SPL is standing 1m beside a chainsaw. Again, without hearing protection, that can damage your hearing.

 

For short bursts, shouldn't cause permanent damage, but don't make a habit of it.

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, dalekphalm said:

For short bursts, shouldn't cause permanent damage, but don't make a habit of it.

Actually according to your link less than 2 minutes cause permanent damage

[dalekphalm]

1 minute ago, OddGreyFox211 said:

Actually according to your link less than 2 minutes cause permanent damage

*shrugs* either way it's not a good idea

 

I sure as hell wouldn't stand 1m away from a live chainsaw without hearing protection.

[Mira Yurizaki]

1 hour ago, dalekphalm said:

*shrugs* either way it's not a good idea

 

I sure as hell wouldn't stand 1m away from a live chainsaw without hearing protection.

Hell I wouldn't subject myself to 90+ dB without hearing protection for longer than I have to.

[ShearMe]

It's also important to know that your source material and DAC (the input voltage to your amp) are going to change the actual to-your-ears dB level. Spoken word, soft jazz,and classical recordings will generally be significantly lower than your typical gaming, movies, and popular music. You can't JUST run a calculation on the amplifier specs because you need to know the output of the DAC.... and you can't JUST add the DAC calculations because you need to know the dBV range of your audio track... and that is going to change between just about every media source.

 

For this reason, scientific measurements and calculations are generally insufficient to describe to an individual how certain gear will perform in their setup. You either need a lot of calculations based off information you don't have, or lots of measurements made with equipment you don't have.