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home | newest check | boards | help index | log | ps | userlogin | send sysop | slog | status forward | bcm news | users | version | remove cookieG8MNY > TECH 27.08.25 17:20l 161 Lines 8848 Bytes #10 (0) @ WW BID : 39635_GB7CIP Subj: Sound Levels, dBA dBB & dBC Path: JH4XSY<JE7YGF<LU4ECL<VK2RZ<VK2IO<GB7BED<GB7JED<GB7CIP Sent: 250827/0809Z @:GB7CIP.#32.GBR.EURO #:39635 [Caterham Surrey GBR] From: G8MNY@GB7CIP.#32.GBR.EURO To : TECH@WW By G8MNY (updated Jan 06) (8 Bit ASCII graphics use code page 437 or 850, Terminal Font) THE EAR The human ear has a very wide frequency & level range. From the faint 0dBA that approximates to the threshold of hearing & represents an ear drum movement in the order of the width of an atom, to energy levels greater than a million million times stronger, or greater than a million times that movement. This huge dynamic range is achieved by an AGC action in the ear that uses muscles to dampen the movement of the acoustic path to the cochlea. The minimum level change that can be detected is about 2dB over this range. Too much sound for short time results in ringing in the ear, some damage usually has happened if you hear this. Long periods of loud sound actually breaks off the frequency sensing hairs in the cochlea, resulting in permanent loss of that frequency! Frequency resolution is about 2% at most frequencies, e.g. 20Hz @ 1kHz. NON LINEAR EAR RESPONSE This chart shows a young human ear response dBP (phons) of equal loudness measured against Sound Pressure Level, (0dB = 2 dynes/cm2 or 20 uPascals). \ Hz 20 50 100 200 500 1k 2k 5k 10k 20k SPL\ 140dB `-.__ ./ 140dB 130dB _ ~``---...___ Threshold of Pain Baby's _./ 130dB 120dB `--.. ~`````--------------..____ Cries? _..-'' .120dB 110dB `-._ ``--...___ 120dBP ~`-....-' __ _./ 110dB 100dB -. `-._ ````--.._____..------....____ _..-'~ ' 100dB 90dB -.~`-._ ~`-.._ 100dBP ~`--'~ _.._ ./ 90dB 80dB -.`-._ `-._ ~``---...._______..----.....___ _..-' `'~ 80dB 70dB \ `-. `-._ `-..__ 80dBP `--' _.._ ./ 70dB 60dB \ `-. `-._ ~``---..._______..----.....___ _..-' `-' 60dB 50dB \ `-._ ~`--..__ 60dBP `-' _.._ ./ 50dB 40dB \ ~`-..__ ~`--._____.-----.....____ __.-' `-' 40dB 30dB ` . ~`--..__ 40dBP `'~ _.._ ./ 30dB 20dB Threshold` - _ 20dBP~`---------.....____ __.-' _ `--' / 20dB 10dB Of Hearing ` - . _ `~ / \ _ / 10dB 0dB 0dBP ~ ` ` ' ' ' ' - . _ . . / 0dB 20 50 100 200 500 1k 2k 5k 10k 20k You will see that the response is far from flat, & that the bass end is also very compressed a 20dB change only seems like 10dB. Frequency range & sensitivity changes with age, from 20Hz-20kHz when young, to -20dB @ 4kHz when old with some 20 to 40dB reduction in overall sensitivity as well, but the threshold of pain remains the same. Here is a large list of typical sound levels taken from a 1963 DAWE Meter H/B & some from G4WYW's bul. Some sounds may be louder now! EXAMPLE dB Wtg NOISE mPa uBar Ref Mic Ear drum ruptures 160 dBC Damage 2K Pa 20 Bar damaged Limit of safe exposure 150 dBC Some damage 6.3 KPa 6.3 Bar damaged of body to continuous noise, Sensations of imbalance & skin heating. Military aircraft @ 30m 140 dBC 200 Pa 2 Bar damaged Threshold of pain 130 dBC !!!!!!! 63 Pa 630000 damaged Jet Aircraft @ 500ft & 120 dBC Deafening 20 Pa 200000 112mV Threshold of discomfort. Pneumatic Drill & Boiler 110 dBC Deafening 6.3 Pa 63000 35mV Making Factory & Jet @ 150m Disco well away from LS. Powerful mower at 1m Train whistle at 15m. Motor Horn 105 dBC Deafening 3.5 Pa 35000 20mV Noisy food blender @ 0.5m 100 dBC Very Loud 2.0 Pa 20000 12mV Inside train compartment when door is slammed & Lorry in narrow street. Inside an Old Tube Train 95 dBC Very Loud 1,125 11000 6.3mV Busy Street 93 dBC Very Loud 893 8.90 5.0mV Upper limit of daily noise, 90 dBC Very Loud 630 6.3 3.6mV Automatic lathe at 1m & exposure regarded as OK. Workshop 88 dBC Very Loud 502 5.00 2.8mV Small Car @ 24ft 83 dBB Very Loud 282 2.80 1.6mV Noisy Office, Alarm clocks 80 dBB Very Loud 200 2.0 1.2mV Noisy Office 78 dBB Loud 158 1.60 980uV Inside Small Car 73 dBB Loud 89 .89 500uV Less Busy Street 70 dBB Loud 63 .63 360mV Large Shop 68 dBB Loud 50 .50 280uV Radio Set @ Full Volume 65 dBB Loud 36 .36 200uV Normal conversation @ 1m 60 dBB Loud 20 2 120uV Normal Conversation @ 2m 58 dBB Moderate 16 .16 98uV Urban House 53 dBA Moderate 9.8 .098 50uV Quiet Street 50 dBA Moderate 6.3 .63 36mV Quiet Office 48 dBA Moderate 5.2 .052 28uV Rural House 43 dBA Moderate 2.8 .028 16uV Quiet Speech & 40 dBA Moderate 2.0 .02 12mV Residential area at night. Public Library 38 dBA Faint 1.6 .016 9uV Quiet Conversation 33 dBA Faint 0.9 .009 5uV Ticking of watch 30 dBA Faint 0.63 .006 3.6uV Rustle of Paper 28 dBA Faint 0.5 .005 3uV Whisper 23 dBA Faint 0.3 .003 2uV Quiet country lane 20 dBA Faint 0.2 .002 1.2uV Quiet Church 18 dBA Very Faint 0.16 1uV Still Night in Country 13 dBA Very Faint 0.1 0.5uV Blood pulsing & Heartbeat 10 dBA Very Faint 0.06 0.3uV Sound Proof Room 5 dBA Very Faint 0.04 0.2uV Threshold of Sound 0 dBA Extremely Faint 0.02 0.1uV WEIGHTINGS Frequency weighting filters are used to change the measured level to reflect the human ear response. It is achieved with gentle filters in the measuring system, normally manually switched in. The use of the wrong weighting for a particular sound may affect the measurement when compaired to the apparent noise level as perceived by the ear or not, depending on the sound frequency content, so sometimes just dBA is used for all levels! Gain 0dB _ . , - - . , _ 0dB -10 _.- ' ` - -10 dBA is for sound levels up -20 _-' -20 to 55dB, it has a response -30 _-' Weighting Curve A -30 peaking at 2kHz with heavy -40 _-' -40 LF cut of -50dB @ 20Hz & -50_-' -50 -10dB @ 20kHz. 20 50 100 200 500 1k 2k 5k 10k 20k Gain 0dB _ . , - - . , _ 0dB -10 _.- ' ` - -10 dBB is for sound levels -20 _-' -20 between 55dB & 85dB, it is -30_- Weighting Curve B -30 flatter than dBA with only -40 -40 -24dB @ 20Hz LF roll off & -50 -50 the same -10dB @ 20kHz. 20 50 100 200 500 1k 2k 5k 10k 20k Gain 0dB _ . , - - . , _ 0dB dBC Weighting is level above -10- ' ` - -10 85dB, it is quite flat 30Hz -20 -20 to 10kHz, & only -10dB roll -30 Weighting Curve C -30 off @ 10Hz & 20kHz. It is a -40 -40 frequency response with the -50 -50 flattest weighting, almost the same as an unweighted 20 50 100 200 500 1k 2k 5k 10k 20k Sound Pressure Level (SPL). N.B. dB"C" is not dB"c" which is dBs with respect to an RF carrier. HIFI TRICKS These ear response tonal level changes are the principle behind Loudness controls on modern audio domestic systems, eg. boost low frequency Bass & top end Treble when the volume control is set low, as it will sound much louder to the ear. Why Don't U send an interesting bul? 73 De John, G8MNY @ GB7CIP
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