62 C H A P T E R 4 The Dimensions of Sound

Physical realities Subjective effects Hearing damage Power

Drag racing needs
150 Jet engine at 10m
“boom” car audio system Immediate irreversible
damage
140 Flight deck of aircraft carrier
Peak level of drums at 1m Pain 100000
Artillery at 100m
130 OSHA
Peak level at rock concert occupational
noise exposure 10000
limits (A-weighted)
120 1,000,000 x sound pressure @ 0 dB Discomfort for each work day.

Average level at rock concert 15 min. 1000

110 30 min.
Peak level 75 pc symphony orch.
Peak sound level in films fff 1 hr 100
Disco
Chain saw at 1m
100 2 hr
Noisy motorcycle, revved

Amplifier power (watts)

Sound pressure level (dB)

ff 4 hr 10
Bar area at disco
90 Power mower at 1.5m 8 hr
Subway train arriving
Inside accerating sports car activate 1
f precautions
80 Average level 75 pc symphony orch.
Manufacturing plant
Sounds above about 75 dB 0.1
Average dialog level in films
have progressively greater
70 Inside luxury car at 70 mph mf permanent effects on hearing.

Preferred voice level in home theater 0.01

60 Normal speech at 1m
p
0.001

50 Suburban residence yard

pp
0.0001

40

ppp 0.00001

30 A quality listening room

Empty auditiorium

20 Recording studio

10

0 Eardrum movement comparable to 1/10 diameter of a hydrogen molecule.

This is the hearing threshold at middle frequencies

FIGURE 4.3 Examples of sounds generating various sound pressure levels are shown on the left. In the middle are descriptions of a
few subjective effects and considerations related to hearing conservation. On the right are idealized estimates of amplifier power required
to produce these sound levels in typical domestic rooms using medium-sensitivity loudspeakers. All of these estimates and descriptors are
approximate because of uncertainties in how the measurements were made and normal acoustical variations in real-world circumstances.