Mo, the numbers on the volume setting have no absolute meaning except that at a given input voltage the bigger ones are louder than the smaller ones. Some receivers of course don't use the - to 0 to + format(one of my receivers goes 1 to 79), but it doesn't make any difference. As to your question about what SPL levels would be heard with the volume at 0dB(when applicable), I'd say that it would depend on the dynamic range of the material being played, and on the very widest range classical material(rare)it could vary from a barely audible(in a very quiet room)40dB up to a brief 110dB peak. Much pop music is almost uniformly loud and has very little dynamic range, so even if the listening was at an extremely loud 90dB average, there might be no peaks above about 95dB. My own classical music listening when "loud" is at an average of about 80dB(using less than 1 watt), and hits brief peaks in the 100dB area on some compositions.
Of interest on the question of sound levels was Alan's discussion in the
March newsletter .
