What's the quiescent ambient noise level in your listening room?

[babadono]

And how did you measure it?

[NBPK402]

Wouldn't you measure it with a SPL meter or maybe REW?

[Schu]

I'm not quite sure why it even matters... because we're living in the real world, not in a controlled environment test bench world.

Ambient just exists and everyone's ambient level, frequency pattern and reflections are all different.

 

Besides, to a point 'live' rooms sound better than dead rooms.

[Khornukopia]

4 hours ago, babadono said:

And how did you measure it?

 

I normally use my Quest 2200 when checking my speakers. Its range is 30dB to 140dB and apparently my listening room is too quiet, so I had to drop a feather to trigger the meter display.

 

 

 

[babadono]

This thread got spawned from another thread in which others were reporting there is no hiss from their system/speakers. Got me thinking how quiet is quiet?

I tried to use a borrowed Rat Shack SPL meter. It bottomed out at 50 in my room and flashed 50, LO,50,LO. I set up REW with my UMIK and got a reading of 35 with A or C weighting. It jumped up to 39 IIRC with Z weighting. I question the calibration of either method.  

[gigantic]

my ambient noise at the moment is 36dB, but when I want to measure my speakers in the late morning & afternoon, it can get up to 45dB; such is life in the inner city.

 

[babadono]

Yes of course ambient will change throughout the day. I would expect one to use their judgement as to when it is quietest. And I would say the ratio of the quietest to the maximum level is the dynamic range of the room. This is not important? Why are millions spent designing and constructing concert halls or recording studio control rooms?

[jcn3]

22-25db according to my phone . . . .

[babadono]

^ that's quiet.... but how accurate is a cellphone doing this task?

[geezin']

Air is on fan is going it's how. And it's kind of loud...58dB A according to my NIOSH app on the iPhone.

[The Dude]

2 hours ago, jcn3 said:

22-25db according to my phone . . . .

64 db with mine 60-62 once the ac kicked off. Usually when taking measurements with REW, it registers around 60-65 db.

[gigantic]

for me, daytime traffic, the sound of the El 3 blocks away, kids playing in the streets and homies idling on the corner with their chucheros blaring can raise the noise floor significantly. luckily, my condo is recently built with spray foam insulation and argon insulated, double paned windows, which cuts down the sound considerably. it was a lot louder when i lived in a 125 year-old row house.

 

[geezin']

That's why I live in the middle of this. The white blur is my place.

 

[jcn3]

On 6/20/2024 at 4:53 PM, babadono said:

^ that's quiet.... but how accurate is a cellphone doing this task?

 

good question . . . don't know.  generally, where i am is pretty quiet except from about 7-830 am and then 4-6.  during those times, i've got some school/commute traffic, but my phone doesn't go over 30db or so.

 

then of course there's when the mowers and blowers are going . . . 

[geezin']

On 6/20/2024 at 4:53 PM, babadono said:

^ that's quiet.... but how accurate is a cellphone doing this task?

From an article on the CDC website iOS when used with built in microphone +/- 2dB. External microphone +/-1dB.

[gigantic]

On 6/21/2024 at 6:55 PM, geezin' said:

That's why I live in the middle of this. The white blur is my place.

 

I live in this:

 

while I unfortunately have to drive to work, everything else I need, groceries, produce, meat & seafood, delis and 5 James Beard Foundation award winning restaurants and plenty more that are just as good, including 11 microbreweries, 7 distilleries, music venues and countless gastropubs, coffee shops, taquerias, pizzerias are within walking distance from my home. I park my car on Friday evenings and don’t touch it until I leave for work on Monday morning. I’m 3 blocks from the subway/el station, which puts the rest of the region at my fingertips, without a car and my maker space, where I build guitars, furniture and speakers, is five blocks away. We have numerous small parks and green spaces nearby and in a 25 minute bike ride, I can be lost in the woods of the nation’s largest urban park. I grew up on a farm in Iowa, it’s nice to visit, but I wouldn’t trade city life for anything. 

[geezin']

That's OK it just ain't fer me.

[the real Duke Spinner]

Depends on the time of year

Quiet road Except for Spring Planting and Fall Harvest Dogs enjoy barking at the big green Combines And The Grain Trucks. ,,,😀😀😀

[Marvel]

On 6/21/2024 at 6:55 PM, geezin' said:

That's why I live in the middle of this. The white blur is my place.

 

A little bit envious...

[geezin']

Don't be. It's nothing special. Just quiet.