Volume read-out in decibles (Explanation?)

 

New member
Username: Lytalbayre

Post Number: 7
Registered: Oct-04
Okay, I'm a newbie when it comes to sound, I basically listen and when I hear something I like, that's it. My first receiver 4 years ago was a Sony, and it's volume read-out was straight forward, 0=no noise the higher the number, the more noise.
My second receiver, read in decibles ( I think). It would start at like 88 and as you turn up the volume, the numbers would go down (20-30 was very loud).
My latest receiver, a HK AVT630, definately has a read-out in decibles, starting at -88 and going up to + whatever.

My questions is how does this decible read-out relate to your speakers, or the amount of amps or wattage being sent to your speakers. Basically, what does it mean.

I can put the receiver on -20 decible and it's nice and loud, but I don't know what it means.

Can someone explain this to me. Thanks all.
 

Silver Member
Username: Petergalbraith

Rimouski, Quebec Canada

Post Number: 162
Registered: Feb-04
The dB scale is much better. In theory, 0 dB should correspond to the max your amplifier is rated for, given a source of normal max voltage. So your amp is 100W per channel, then that will be around 0dB. If it's 50W, then that will be around 0dB.

Down from 0 dB, the scale is logarithmic. A decrease of 10 dB is a factor of 10 in power and a decrease of 3 dB is about a factor of 2 in power.

At -20 dB, you are listenning at about 1/100 of the rated power of your amp. This is likely peaks of around 1 W per channel.

Hope this helps.
 

New member
Username: Lytalbayre

Post Number: 9
Registered: Oct-04
So, does that mean that when I turn the volume up into the range of + decibles, I am actually going over the maximum listed watts per channel, and does that mean I run the risk of blowing out the receiver?

Thanks.
 

Silver Member
Username: Petergalbraith

Rimouski, Quebec Canada

Post Number: 168
Registered: Feb-04
You have to start being careful at that point. If your source is recorded low, then it will take more gain to reach max output. Also, some receivers are not well calibrated (or don't have 0dB set to max output). For example, my friend's Onkyo's volume control goes all the way to +18dB or so, and needs around +10dB to get as many watts as my lower rated h/k avr-325. So it can vary. Just start being careful there and listen for distorsion and clipping.
 

Anonymous
 
About how many decibels would a sterio play medium volume classical music? Loud rap? Thanks.
 

Anonymous
 
HOW TO MAKE EXTREMELY EASY MONEY WITH $6.00!!!!! READING THIS COULD CHANGE YOUR LIFE!
I found this on a bulletin board and decided to try it. A little while back, I
was browsing through newsgroups, just like you are now, and came across an
article similar to this that said you could make thousands of dollars within
weeks with only an initial investment of $6.00! So I thought, Yeah right, this
must be a scam, but like most of us, I was curious, so I kept reading. Anyway,
it said that you send $1.00 to each of the 6 names and address stated in the
article. You then place your own name and address in the bottom of the list at
#6, and post the article in at least 200 newsgroups. (There are thousands) No
catch, that was it. So after thinking it over, and talking to a few people
first, I thought about trying it. I figured: what have I got to lose except 6
stamps and $6.00, right? Then I invested the measly $6.00. Well GUESS WHAT!!...
within 7 days, I started getting money in the mail! I was shocked! I figured it
would end soon, but the money just kept coming in. In my first week, I made
about $25.00. By the end of the second week I had made a total of over
$1,000.00! In the third week I had over $10,000.00 and it's still growing. This
is now my fourth week and I have made a total of just over $42,000.00 and it's
still coming in rapidly. It's certainly worth $6.00, and 6 stamps, I have spent
more than that on the lottery!! Let me tell you how this works and most
importantly, why it works....Also, make sure you print a copy of this article
NOW, so you can get the information off of it as you need it. I promise you
that if you follow the directions exactly, that you will start making more
money than you thought possible by doing something so easy!
Suggestion: Read this entire message carefully! (Print it out or download it.)
Follow the simple directions and watch the money come in! It's easy. It's
legal. And, your investment is only $6.00 (Plus postage)
IMPORTANT: This is not a rip-off; it is not indecent; it is not illegal; and it
is virtually no risk - it really works!!!! If all of the following instructions
are adhered to, you will receive extraordinary dividends.
PLEASE NOTE: Please follow these directions EXACTLY, and $50,000 or more can be
yours in 20 to 60 days. This program remains successful because of the honesty
and integrity of the participants. Please continue its success by carefully
adhering to the instructions. You will now become part of the Mail Order
business. In this business your product is not solid and tangible, it's a
service. You are in the business of developing Mailing Lists. Many large
corporations are happy to pay big bucks for quality lists. However, the money
made from the mailing lists is secondary to the income which is made from
people like you and me asking to be included in that list. Here are the 4 easy
steps to success:
STEP 1: Get 6 separate pieces of paper and write the following on each piece of
paper; PLEASE PUT ME ON YOUR MAILING LIST. Now get 6 US $1.00 bills and place
ONE inside EACH of the 6 pieces of paper so the bill will not be seen through
the envelope (to prevent thievery). Next, place one paper in each of the 6
envelopes and seal them. You should now have 6 sealed envelopes, each with a
piece of paper stating the above phrase, your name and address, and a $1.00
bill. What you are doing is creating a service. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY LEGAL! You
are requesting a legitimate service and you are paying for it! Like most of us
I was a little skeptical and a little worried about the legal aspects of it
all. So I checked it out with the U.S. Post Office (1-800-725-2161) and they
confirmed that it is indeed legal! Mail the 6 envelopes to the following
addresses:
Mailing Addresses

Stephanie Hicks
1283 Evening Canyon
Henderson NV 89014

Ross Wilson
202 Belmont Dr.
Thibodaux, LA 70301

James Small
4690 Sierra St.
Riverside, CA 92504

Brandon Corbin
307 N. Church St.
Lancaster, PA 17603

Jordan Henry
25 Ball Hill Road
Greenbrier, AR 72058

Lierin Quinn
P.O. Box 242
Bausman, PA 17504

STEP 2: Now take the #1 name off the list that you see above, move the other
names up (6 becomes 5, 5 becomes 4, etc...) and add YOUR Name as number 6 on
the list.
STEP 3: Change anything you need to, but try to keep this article as close to
original as possible. Now, post your amended article to at least 200
newsgroups. (I think there are close to 24,000 groups) All you need is 200, but
remember, the more you post, the more money you make! This is perfectly legal!
If you have any doubts, refer to Title 18 Sec. 1302 & 1341 of the Postal
lottery laws.
Keep a copy of these steps for yourself and, whenever you need money, you can
use it again, and again.
PLEASE REMEMBER that this program remains successful because of the honesty and
integrity of the participants and by their carefully adhering to the
directions. Look at it this way. If you are of integrity, the program will
continue and the money that so many others have received will come your way.
NOTE: You may want to retain every name and address sent to you, either on a
computer or hard copy and keep the notes people send you. This VERIFIES that
you are truly providing a service. (Also, it might be a good idea to wrap the
$1 bill in dark paper to reduce the risk of mail theft.)
So, as each post is downloaded and the directions carefully followed, six
members will be reimbursed for their participation as a List Developer with one
dollar each. Your name will move up the list geometrically so that when your
name reaches the #1 position you will be receiving thousands of dollars in
CASH!!! What an opportunity for only $6.00 ($1.00 for each of the first six
people listed above) Send it now, add your own name to the list and you're in
business!
---DIRECTIONS ----- FOR HOW TO POST TO NEWSGROUPS------------ Step 1) You do
not need to re-type this entire letter to do your own posting. Simply put your
cursor at the beginning of this letter and drag your cursor to the bottom of
this document, and select 'copy' from the edit menu. This will copy the entire
letter into the computer's memory.
Step 2) Open a blank 'notepad' file and place your cursor at the top of the
blank page. From the 'edit' menu select 'paste'. This will paste a copy of the
letter into notepad so that you can add your name to the list.
Step 3) Save your new notepad file as a .txt file. If you want to do your
postings in different settings, you'll always have this file to go back to.
Step 4) Use Netscape or Internet explorer and try searching for various
newsgroups (on-line forums, message boards, chat sites, discussions.)
Step 5) Visit these message boards and post this article as a new message by
highlighting the text of this letter and selecting paste from the edit menu.
Fill in the Subject, this will be the header that everyone sees as they scroll
through the list of postings in a particular group, click the post message
button. You're done with your first one! Congratulations...THAT'S IT! All you
have to do is jump to different newsgroups and post away, after you get the
hang of it, it will take about 30 seconds for each newsgroup!
**REMEMBER, THE MORE NEWSGROUPS YOU POST IN, THE MORE MONEY YOU WILL MAKE!! BUT
YOU HAVE TO POST A MINIMUM OF 200**
That's it! You will begin receiving money from around the world within days!
You may eventually want to rent a P.O.Box due to the large amount of mail you
will receive. If you wish to stay anonymous, you can invent a name to use, as
long as the postman will deliver it.
**JUST MAKE SURE ALL THE ADDRESSES ARE CORRECT.**
Now the WHY part: Out of 200 postings, say I receive only 5 replies (a very low
example). So then I made $5.00 with my name at #6 on the letter. Now, each of
the 5 persons who just sent me $1.00 make the MINIMUM 200 postings, each with
my name at #5 and only 5 persons respond to each of the original 5, that is
another $25.00 for me, now those 25 each make 200 MINIMUM posts with my name at
#4 and only 5 replies each, I will bring in an additional $125.00! Now, those
125 persons turn around and post the MINIMUM 200 with my name at #3 and only
receive 5 replies each, I will make an additional $626.00! OK, now here is the
fun part, each of those 625 persons post a MINIMUM 200 letters with my name at
#2 and they each only receive 5 replies, that just made me $3,125.00!!! Those
3,125 persons will all deliver this message to 200 newsgroups with my name at
#1 and if still 5 persons per 200 newsgroups react I will receive $15,625,00!
With an original investment of only $6.00! AMAZING! When your name is no longer
on the list, you just take the latest posting in the newsgroups, and send out
another $6.00 to names on the list, putting your name at number 6 again. And
start posting again. The thing to remember is: do you realize that thousands of
people all over the world are joining the internet and reading these articles
everyday?, JUST LIKE YOU are now!! So, can you afford $6.00 and see if it
really works?? I think so... People have said, "e;what if the plan is played
out and no one sends you the money? So what! What are the chances of that
happening when there are tons of new honest users and new honest people who are
joining the internet and newsgroups everyday and are willing to give it a try?
Estimates are at 20,000 to 50,000 new users, every day, with thousands of those
joining the actual internet.
Remember: play FAIRLY and HONESTLY and this will really work.
 

Silver Member
Username: Petergalbraith

Rimouski, Quebec Canada

Post Number: 245
Registered: Feb-04
Threshold of Hearing (TOH) 0 dB
Rustling Leaves 10 dB
Whisper 20 dB
Normal Conversation 60 dB
Busy Street Traffic 70 dB
Vacuum Cleaner 80 dB
Large Orchestra 98 dB
Walkman at Maximum Level 100 dB
Front Rows of Rock Concert 110 dB
Threshold of Pain 130 dB
Military Jet Takeoff 140 dB
Instant Perforation of Eardrum 160 dB
 

Unregistered guest
Also Mark, don't get too hung up on the number your receiver displays. As Peter pointed out, 0 dB is not necessarily the maximum.

The actual sound pressure that your ears feel will depend on the level at which the source was recorded, speaker sensitivity, room size, the distance you are from your speakers, the resistance in your speaker wire, etc.
« Previous Thread Next Thread »



Main Forums

Today's Posts

Forum Help

Follow Us