Maximum loudness
February 28, 2006
On some speaker manufacturers' websites I see listed in the
specs a maximum loudness that the speakers will play. This is usually around 110dB or a
little less. Many companies don’t list this spec. How loud should a speaker play?
What should I shoot for? Is 110dB really loud?
Arvid
Listening levels are highly personal. Some folks listen
at levels that rarely if ever exceed 90dB, while others will listen at levels with peaks
reaching 110dB. Just for reference, here is a list of common sounds and their average
loudness levels expressed in decibels:
Near total silence: 0dB
A whisper: 15dB
Normal conversation: 60dB
A lawnmower: 90dB
A car horn: 110dB
A rock concert or a jet engine: 120dB
A gunshot or firecracker: 140dB
As you can see, 110dB would be pretty loud. Imagine
listening to a car horn continually and you have some idea how loud a steady-state 110dB
level would be. Such 110dB peaks, however, might be reached with rock music or home
theater. If you have a speaker that will play 110dB, in my opinion, you will never need
more volume. That’s loud enough! Prolonged periods of listening at that level would
likely damage your hearing anyway.
Spades with spring clips -- part two
February 23, 2006
I took your advice and bought a set of banana plugs to go
with my new speaker cables. The screw-on connection on the banana works well with the
spades, making them very easy to secure on my receiver’s binding posts. RadioShack
sells some heavy-duty gold-plated ones for about $10 a set. Thanks for the advice and the
wonderful website. Very helpful indeed.
Mark
Latest review
February 20, 2006
In your latest
review, Jeff Stockton states, "If you’re happy with the components you have,
consider the expense of high-quality cables such as those from Element to be the final
step…." Do you believe that cables should be picked based on the components you
have, or can you simply buy good cables and be done with it?
Rob
It’s not practical to try all of the available
cables on the market with your system. I’m not sure anyone would actually want to
spend their time doing that anyway. Perhaps the best advice would be to try a few brands
that have garnered a good reputation, are within your price range, and are made by
companies that will support their customers should a repair need to be made. If you can
get a money-back guarantee such as many of the Internet-based companies offer, then you
have no risk and can choose something that works best for your system. On the other hand,
upgrading from a lamp-cord cabling menagerie to a solidly built cable by a good
manufacturer -- even one that you haven’t heard -- carries little risk. Most
audiophiles will find pleasure in the fact that the upgrade is both audible and musically
worthwhile. I would not blame anyone for not wanting to compare multiple cable models back
to back to back. The brands you’ll see reviewed in GoodSound! are solid
choices for most systems, and all represent good value.
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