Quote:
justin.kerr wrote:
 That a very close listening position.
Also OSHA ratings are established A-weighted. There are not many speakers capable of 105 db at 20 hz, A-weighted. For 1 hour continuous 105 db is safe. Short "blasts" up to 140 db safe, according to U.S. Military Standard 1474D. |
I was not trying to specifically establish hearing safety limits. I was trying o relate to the substantial level that such a SPL equates to in full range use. At about 3 meters (9-10') distance (which I consider a very average for average situations when listening critically), only a dB or 2 of additional loss would occur in a regular room. But as a side issue concerning safety, how long does one listen to music? That's needs to be decided. At 96-99dB, which is extremely loud, and a figure which a high quality average sensitivity speaker set can manage with no substantial compression problems, given a sufficient power amplifier, 4-5 hours is the maximum limit of safety, accumulated in a 24 hour period. Now, if someone actually intends to play music over 100dB averaged on a regular basis, I would in fact recommend that they use high efficiency drivers, or a line array of regular drivers. Sound quality is probably not the highest priority anyways, assuming this condition. Let's put this into perspective: the average classical music performance has an average SPL well below 90dB. Only peaks are over 100dB, and transient peaks do not cause substantial compression. I would speculate that most people, when they are in a mood for short term 'rocking out' at high SPL, do not exceed an averaged energy SPL resulting in greater than 100dB at the listening position, unless they have pre-existing substantial hearing damage.
-Chris