Paducah Home Theater Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 Yep, fire that handgun off in the living room and your ears will sing... I hate to say it but I've done this. It isn't something I care to try to mimic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 A few pages back a chart was posted concerning damaging levels. I suspect many don't realize that these are SUSTAINED levels, not impulse or short duration levels. 90db will damage hearing if sustained for hours, such as by a diesel engine nearby. But for even a couple of minutes it will not in a listening room. Acoustic music played realistically (Think Wagner) will easily hit the 90s, but it is not sustained and not dangerous. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike stehr Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 Being behind a pair of F16s at about 70 yards from a dead take-off will put you on your knees...learned a big lesson about hearing protection that day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thaddeus Smith Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 Being behind a pair of F16s at about 70 yards from a dead take-off will put you on your knees...learned a big lesson about hearing protection that day. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ES2dozTkogc 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike stehr Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 Awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyrc Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 I watched Star Wars at -20 db last night. Ears are still ringing. The dialogue was perfectly normal but something was different about it. I'll never do that again. How large is your room (cu. ft.)? How far away from the front speakers do you sit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paducah Home Theater Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 I watched Star Wars at -20 db last night. Ears are still ringing. The dialogue was perfectly normal but something was different about it. I'll never do that again. How large is your room (cu. ft.)? How far away from the front speakers do you sit? 2700 cubic feet, 15x20. I am a little over 10' no more than 11' reclined from the screen, RC-64ii in the middle and two RF-7ii's on the outside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyrc Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 I watched Star Wars at -20 db last night. Ears are still ringing. The dialogue was perfectly normal but something was different about it. I'll never do that again. How large is your room (cu. ft.)? How far away from the front speakers do you sit? 2700 cubic feet, 15x20. I am a little over 10' no more than 11' reclined from the screen, RC-64ii in the middle and two RF-7ii's on the outside. According to the THX chart I mentioned in my post above (#155) Psychoacoustic Reference Level in a room your size would be Main Volume -7 or -8 or so, rather than 0. As we discussed before, some BDs sound louder than others, possibly due to compressing the dynamics of the sound effects and music, and cramming them up close to Full Scale, way above the dialog, and above the effects/music in uncompressed movies (which still peak at the same levels, but don't stay there long). I haven't tried Star Wars, but Star Trek: Into Darkness has effects that are pushed against FS, so I turn it down. There are others like this. I play most movies at 5 dB below Reference in my 4,250 cu ft treated room, a very few at Reference itself, and a very few way lower. Some old DVDs, rather than BDs, I need to turn up to above Reference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paducah Home Theater Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 I watched Star Wars at -20 db last night. Ears are still ringing. The dialogue was perfectly normal but something was different about it. I'll never do that again. How large is your room (cu. ft.)? How far away from the front speakers do you sit? 2700 cubic feet, 15x20. I am a little over 10' no more than 11' reclined from the screen, RC-64ii in the middle and two RF-7ii's on the outside. According to the THX chart I mentioned in my post above (#155) Psychoacoustic Reference Level in a room your size would be Main Volume -7 or -8 or so, rather than 0. As we discussed before, some BDs sound louder than others, possibly due to compressing the dynamics of the sound effects and music, and cramming them up close to Full Scale, way above the dialog, and above the effects/music in uncompressed movies (which still peak at the same levels, but don't stay there long). I haven't tried Star Wars, but Star Trek: Into Darkness has effects that are pushed against FS, so I turn it down. There are others like this. I play most movies at 5 dB below Reference in my 4,250 cu ft treated room, a very few at Reference itself, and a very few way lower. Some old DVDs, rather than BDs, I need to turn up to above Reference. Audessey killed everything around 8 db, I figured that would have evened up the score but maybe not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappydue Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 I can't wait to come and see how loud your negative 20 is compared to mine. Cause mine is not loud at -20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyrc Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 (edited) I watched Star Wars at -20 db last night. Ears are still ringing. The dialogue was perfectly normal but something was different about it. I'll never do that again. I can't wait to come and see how loud your negative 20 is compared to mine. Cause mine is not loud at -20 Mine isn't anywhere near loud at 20 below Reference, and is just barely beginning to get "loudish" at 10 below. The chart (above, post #155) seems to suggest that -7 should be about right for most of our rooms. I don't get why Audyssey calibration produces levels that are as different as the two above quotes show. Room size -- within the plausible size range of HTs -- makes some difference in psychoacoustic perception, but not nearly that much, according to the chart discussed above. Edited January 28, 2015 by Garyrc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paducah Home Theater Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 (edited) I can't wait to come and see how loud your negative 20 is compared to mine. Cause mine is not loud at -20 -25 on mine is usually like tv volume except fuller, you can easily talk over it. It usually takes -20 for things to open up and be exciting at all. that level is usually plenty bearable even for the kids but a few movies aren't the same. Looper was like this, and apparently the original Star Wars. Also remember I have some hearing damage. I am sensitive to certain sounds, especially harsh higher frequencies. I think all the laser beams messed with me on star wars. Edited January 28, 2015 by MetropolisLakeOutfitters Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappydue Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 I just wanna know if our systems really are that different or if I am deaf or your ears are crazy sensitive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OO1 Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 Tonight, my son and I watched Transformers: Age of Extinction. Amazing movie. The LaScalas sounded absolutely fantastic. Dialogue was clear and gunshots sounded real. The Dual RSW-15's are plenty for my setup. I wanted to pose a question about volume to the community. How loud do you typically watch a movie? My receiver was set at -25db. Most dialogue and non-action sequences were around 85db. During explosions (which there were plenty in this movie), the meter hit 115db quite often. Honestly, this is the first time I finished a movie and wondered if I had it too loud. It's difficult to say how long those peaks lasted but I'm sure the action scenes were around 100db continuous which can't be good for my hearing. The last thing I want to do is to damage my ears to where I can no longer enjoy movies or music. Just looking for some feedback. - there is no way that you were hitting that high of a level to damage hearing or you would be hurting and feeling pain - - lower than a movie cinema is not that high - -now take a rock show in the 115 - 120 range continuous or more ,for 2-3 hours straight - your ears will ring for a while - that means that your hearing has been affected - as a rule - if you feel discomfort - stop - if you dont - have fun and enjoy it - - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickdj1 Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 I think a lot of how loud you listen has a lot to do with how flat the FR is in the HT. A flat response can easily be turned up louder. For me -10 to -15 is loud but, not over bearing. Some compressed movies -20 to -25 is acceptable with my family since they are not bass freaks. That's where the shakers come in, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappydue Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 I agree Derrick my system stays flat from calibration. I never boost anything afterwards. Especially subs. Fun for demo but not a fan for every day watching. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.