Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Emotiva Setup

Then it's not headroom.

Thanks guys for the response.

I need a multi-voltage amp. since i may be moving out of the country by next year. this narrows down my options quite a bit. Outlaw, unfortunately, only provides with 110v option.

Although, I will be using the M80's at normal listening levels at most times, I may pump up the volume for small parties. Not sure what should be the ideal volume for a party, but a good headroom will definitely take away any concerns.

i have prepared a small excel worksheet showing various dB levels at varying distances from the speakers.

Speaker Sensitivity 91 dB
Gain in Stereo Setup +3 dB

Distance from Speaker (in meters)
Wattage 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1 91 85 82 79 77.5 76 74.5
2 94 88 85 82 80.5 79 77.5
4 97 91 88 85 83.5 82 80.5
8 100 94 91 88 86.5 85 83.5
16 103 97 94 91 89.5 88 86.5
32 106 100 97 94 92.5 91 89.5
64 109 103 100 97 95.5 94 92.5
128 112 106 103 100 98.5 97 95.5
256 115 109 106 103 101.5 100 98.5
512 118 112 109 106 104.5 103 101.5
1024 121 115 112 109 107.5 106 104.5
(Sorry, coudn't find a better way to paste from xls). Read: 91dB @1W, 1M distance and so forth.

Now, if I use XPA 3 (300W @4ohms), i would get around 106+3 dB @3m distance from the speakers. While with XPA 2 (500W @4ohms) I'll get 112+3 dB at the same distance.

Now the problem is that I don't know how loud 109dB or 115dB is? Has anybody out here gone upto 115 dB? Or is 109 dB more than enough for a small party?

Thanks

Really, really loud.

10 dB Normal breathing
20 dB Rustling leaves, mosquito
30 dB Whisper
40 dB Stream, refrigerator humming
50-60 dB Quiet office
50-65 dB Normal conversation
60-65 dB Laughter
70 dB Vacuum cleaner, hair dryer
75 dB Dishwasher
78 dB Washing machine
80 dB Garbage disposal, city traffic noise

Prolonged exposure to any noise above 90 dB can
cause gradual hearing loss
84 dB Diesel truck
70-90 dB Recreational vehicle
88 dB Subway, motorcycle
85-90 dB Lawnmower
100 dB Train, garbage truck
97 dB Newspaper press
98 dB Farm tractor

Regular exposure of more than 1 minute
risks permanent hearing loss.
103 dB Jet flyover at 100 feet
105 dB Snowmobile
110 dB Jackhammer, power saw, symphony orchestra
120 dB Thunderclap, discotheque/boom box
110-125 dB Stereo
110-140 dB Rock concerts
130 dB Jet takeoff, shotgun firing
145 dB Boom cars



I hate jackhammers..

I would believe all the SPL are measured @1M from the source??

So to make my room as loud as a discotheque for a party, i'll need to reach 120 dB.

Also, when measuring the speaker sensitivity, does is consider dB @1kHz or the entire range??

I think you should be making it even better than the club and aim for 150dB.

A birdy just whispered in my ears that dB that high can be potentially hazardous for me !!

i would be extremely surprised if you could stand 120dBSPL for more than a very short time at a party.
around 105 dB is the max for movies; LFE up to 115 dB; it's designed for that.

After experiencing temporary hearing loss for several weeks and having extreme sensitivity to sound at times being muffled with ear fullness, intermittent ringing, buzzing and "whooshing" in the ear, I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. It hurts more than your ears but overall how you feel and general quality of life (disrupts sleep, headaches). Be careful with that volume dial folks!

Thanks for sharing your experience Dr.House.

So that makes me zero down on XPA 3. This provides me with sufficient SPL (around 110dB in stereo) and also a headroom of around 4dB over and above 110db (considering room gain). This headroom will make sure that the amp does not go in clipping even at such high volume.

Thanks for the help guys.