Home Hi-Rez Highway

New high resolution SACD releases, players and technology.

lets put this in a bit of perspective :)

most speakers, except Hi Eff horns fall into the 80-90 DBmW range. so achieve 120 DB on an 84 DBmW speaker requires two channels amps that can pump out 26900Ws to move that piston enough to go that loud...the most power amps in the big iron range top out around 600W so you are already a bit short on the top... We listen about 6-15 feet from the speakers, so subtract 3 db for every doubling of the distance you could be down 18 db easily form the 120 db max. there you lost 18 on top. let go to the bottom...a good microphone has a noise floor of 20 dB. and may be able to get up to 130 dB on the top. so there you already lost 10 on the bottom, a quiet studie has a noise floor around 30 dB...so you lost 30 there so the practical dynamic range of a good recording made by the best mike of the lodest sound has a reproducible dynamic range of about 84 db...ok leave a little room and you could swing a 90 DB on an exceptional system. A listening room has a higher noise floor than a studio say 35 or 40 db...so another 10 db loss. so the realistic dynamic range that one can reproduce without fiddling with volumes is about 70 to max 80 DB but then you really have to perk up your ears to hear the stuff down there on the bottom through the tinnitus you just acquired listening to the fortissimos :)

a solo harp or violin in a large concert hall will be in the neighborhood of 80 db peak a player has to really push it, a piano may be banged up to 90 db a full orchestra at the finale of Wagner's may peak at 120 :) normal sound level of a solo instrument will be around 60 db. the noise floor in a good concert hall is 35-40 db. so making recordings where the dynamic range extends beyond 70 dB is not only hard but almost impractical

dee
;-D


True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country.

quote by Kurt Vonnegut



Edits: 06/12/12

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
  Signature Sound   [ Signature Sound Lounge ]


Follow Ups Full Thread
Follow Ups

FAQ

Post a Message!

Forgot Password?
Moniker (Username):
Password (Optional):
  Remember my Moniker & Password  (What's this?)    Eat Me
E-Mail (Optional):
Subject:
Message:   (Posts are subject to Content Rules)
Optional Link URL:
Optional Link Title:
Optional Image URL:
Upload Image:
E-mail Replies:  Automagically notify you when someone responds.