I hit about 106db with my sub calibrated 3db hot. 1 pair mt 22s, vp 100, qs4s, onkyo 797. DIY sub, 15" old cerwinvega and qsc rmx 1450. This seems quite a bit louder than even the best theaters ive been to. But shouldn't the theater be at 112db peaks or even higher? Am I missing something? Does the openess of the theater make it seem quieter than it is? Are reflections in my room making it possibly seem louder than it is, my room is bright, though I dont think the axioms are its the flat bare walls.

Hi ddirado,

Since you are running the subwoofer at higher than normal levels, the readings you will get from your Radio Shack SPL meter on the C-weighting scale won't accurately correlate with your sense of subjective loudness. The meter averages sound-pressure levels across the frequency range, and the bass will cause unusually high readings, although it may not seem all that loud. (Our ears are not very sensitive to deep bass, which is why the levels have to be cranked up before we hear them.) It's more a function of the SPL levels in the midrange, which is where most of the audio content is centered, that give you the sense of "very loud", etc. When loudspeaker sensitivity is measured, the curve for the noise signal is weighted to de-emphasize the bass frequencies.

THX cinemas are supposed to set the average levels in the audience at 85 dB SPL, but I've found that these standards are routinely (and grossly) exceeded. I fled a free screening at New York's Ziegfeld theater of the last Star Wars movie. It was unbearably loud even 2/3 of the way back in a very large movie theater. I didn't have a meter with me, but at the time I guessed that average levels were well into the 95-dB+ range, with extremely high peaks.

Regards,

Yeah. ive been to a really loud theater. It was when i went to see terminator 3 while i was in lake tahoe. The place was way too loud and bright. I wasnt gonna walk out since i had been waiting to see the movie a while but it wasnt a very good viewing.

Needless to say when it came out on DVD i rented it to watch it with good sound. Unfortunaly i have a 19 inch tv lol... kina funny. a 19 inch tv with sound to match a movie theater.

Hey I got a 19" tv too.... but my love is music, not HT.

yep same here. thats why i dont really care about the tv. i used to have seperate systems. the good music system and the cheap HT system composing of stuff previously in the music system. but then i just deceided to merge them together and get the best of both worlds.