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How much louder is 110db vs. 90db?

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there are (primarily) two dB scales, one doubles every 6dB (the most common), the other 3dB. there are also other dB scales since there is no actual value for a single decibel. so it's about 4x louder.
 
One thing I learned while playing Metal Gear on the PSx. Sound travels further in cold air... 😀

Sniper Wolf = HOT!

Poor Sniper Wolf. 🙁
 
Imp said:
The funny thing about that is that I used to think that 33 dB earplugs + 35 dB earmuffs = 68 dB of protection. That, apparently, isn't true. Combining the two supposedly only gives ~40 dB of protection because of how sound is transmitted through your face/bones and whatnot -- not a doctor or hearing expert.

Wonder if I can get a suppressor in Canada... I heard you can get one in the U.S. with enough paperwork.
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I am not an expert in firearms or sound, but from what I've read once the velocity of the round breaks the speed of sound (which is pretty much any larger round or rifle round) it creates a sonic boom and a suppressor would not do much to soften the noise.
 
MixMasterTang said:
I am not an expert in firearms or sound, but from what I've read once the velocity of the round breaks the speed of sound (which is pretty much any larger round or rifle round) it creates a sonic boom and a suppressor would not do much to soften the noise.
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That's what subsonic rounds are for, otherwise you hear the crack.

I like your crack!
 
that sonic boom ends up just being pops. But you hear those pops before you hear the gunshots. I used to have video of that somewhere let me try to find it.
 
Rubycon said:
It's not that simple.

While it's true regarding actual power, the way a loudspeaker works and music (especially live music or recordings possessing wide dynamic range) are far different.

If a (home) loudspeaker system can handle the increase (most claiming they do are generally ballasted) the increase in volume isn't proportional. As voice coils heat up their resistance increases which means the power decreases at same given voltage. This phenomenon is known as power compression.

This is why bridging amplifiers doesn't always work as well as one would think. In pro audio where you benefit from higher impedance loads getting the extra voltage you gain headroom which helps with live sound.

And distortion rapidly increases with increase in voltage input as well.

The solution? Improve efficiency by changing loudspeaker design or adding more speakers. Going from a system that's 87dB (1W/1M) to 97dB will be electrically equivalent of increasing your amplifier power tenfold! And that's using the same amp. Horn loaded systems with room gain can approach 115dB or more. This is why car audio systems can get so loud on comparatively little power.

And before you say "Well Leo has a van with 25,000 watts bro!" Let's see how loud it is sitting in the middle of a ball field with the doors open playing full volume, which with batteries and alternators going full tilt, isn't going to last long! (Thankfully)

Amp power is frequently measured in dB/W as well. A 20dBW amp is 100W. 30dBW is 1000W and so on. It's not uncommon to have summed venue values of 55dBW or more! This is why at front row, SPL can reach 130dB which is quite loud. Most people's ears don't even hear the individual notes at this level, it just sounds like a scream. 😉
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Sure, but I was just assuming for simplicity's sake that all other variables were the same.

JSt0rm said:
I'm in category 3. Thank fucking god I have that going for me. I listen to lots of loud every day and while I do have a little tinnitus my hearing tests have come back good. I do fatigue sometimes and need silence.
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If I were you, I'd back off on the volume, given that you already have tinnitis. Loud music over headphones are a common cause. And it will get worse with age.
 
If I told you I cant? I work in rooms calibrated to 82 or 85db (pink noise at -20dbfs). Sometimes your ears get blown up. That's what happens. My hearing is far more trained then the average person. I can hear very small changes and nuances in sound that most people dont. I get a hearing test once a year at one of the most respected audiologists in the world. I have had discussions with them and we all understand whats going on.

The reason you can walk into a movie theater and have the sound be relatively normal is because people are sitting in a room and deciding whats too loud or to soft. The only way they can make that choice is if something is in fact too loud and they experience it.
 
OK. Unique situation, and you probably know better than I do, with your consultations with your audiologist.

That said, I wouldn't be surprised if your tinnitus gets worse with time. Maybe you aren't in category 3 after all.
 
I would be very surprised if I ended up with some genetic reason why I would get hearing loss. No one in my family has hearing loss for one and the other is I've been doing this for over 10 years with very little effect. yeah maybe in 20 more years that could be the case but I'm doing what I love so fcuk it.
 
JSt0rm said:
I would be very surprised if I ended up with some genetic reason why I would get hearing loss. No one in my family has hearing loss for one and the other is I've been doing this for over 10 years with very little effect. yeah maybe in 20 more years that could be the case but I'm doing what I love so fcuk it.
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How old are you, ballpark? Such cumulative hearing loss typically starts to become more noticeable when you're middle age or older. So even if you're listening to loud noise for 15 years, it might not be that noticeable. But it's multifactorial, and not related to just age, and continual exposure to loud noise can hasten its onset as you know.

I am definitely no expert, but given your post above and the question posed, you might want to ask your audiologist again about the risks, if you haven't already discussed it to death that is. You might not have a big genetic risk, but it sounds like your job is still a risk, and you already have tinnitus.
 
Imp said:
The funny thing about that is that I used to think that 33 dB earplugs + 35 dB earmuffs = 68 dB of protection. That, apparently, isn't true. Combining the two supposedly only gives ~40 dB of protection because of how sound is transmitted through your face/bones and whatnot -- not a doctor or hearing expert.

Wonder if I can get a suppressor in Canada... I heard you can get one in the U.S. with enough paperwork.
Click to expand...

The first thing you do when figuring out the NRR of hearing protection is to subtract 7 from the listed NRR. There is much more to it than that, but that is the quick way to do it.

https://www.osha.gov/dts/osta/otm/noise/hcp/attenuation_estimation.html
 
Eug said:
How old are you, ballpark? Such cumulative hearing loss typically starts to become more noticeable when you're middle age or older. So even if you're listening to loud noise for 15 years, it might not be that noticeable. But it's multifactorial, and not related to just age, and continual exposure to loud noise can hasten its onset as you know.

I am definitely no expert, but given your post above and the question posed, you might want to ask your audiologist again about the risks, if you haven't already discussed it to death that is. You might not have a big genetic risk, but it sounds like your job is still a risk, and you already have tinnitus.
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40. The exposure isnt that bad most of the time but again it cant be helped. Unless I change careers I will have exposure to loud sound. I know guys that have been doing this for a long time and are 55-60 and still going. I also know guys who are losing their hearing by 28 because of exposure. Its really the luck of the draw in some cases.

I don't get constant tinnitus just a ringing from time to time that lasts 15 seconds.
 
I guess your workplace risk isn't so bad in the greater scheme of things. Much better than being a coal miner... or even a dancer.
 
Eug said:
I guess your workplace risk isn't so bad in the greater scheme of things. Much better than being a coal miner... or even a dancer.
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Exactly. Being alive will kill u eventually. This won't change before I'm knocked unconscious for eternity.
 
MixMasterTang said:
I am not an expert in firearms or sound, but from what I've read once the velocity of the round breaks the speed of sound (which is pretty much any larger round or rifle round) it creates a sonic boom and a suppressor would not do much to soften the noise.
Click to expand...

I think the Wikipedia article on silencers said that the quietest gun designed for silence was a World War II bolt action thing at 85 dB. Otherwise, the same stuff I read, if I remember correctly, noted that even with subsonic ammo, "regular" guns only get down to the 100dB or 110 dB range.

Pretty crazy, but the difference between 150 dB and 120 dB is pretty substantial given that hearing protection is only rated for ~35 dB of attenuation -- you can actually be exposed for a reasonable amount of time for one, not the other.

P.S. Regarding hearing damage, it seems from reports of studies like we should have the ability to regenerate nerve cells in the ear that give hearing within the next two decades.

Bla bla bla, no soy el doctoro or hearing expert.
 
Every 10 dB increase sounds like an approximate doubling of loudness, so an increase of 20 dB means it should sound roughly 4 times as loud. Give or take. Depends on on the spectral density as well.
 
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