How loud do i listen to my system?
Since the nap 500 introduction it’s been a little loud i must admit. I just cant get enough to tell you the truth, an addiction even.
Great live recordings on Vinyl wow! I seem to be a Florence + the machine live in Madison Square Garden fan atm, been spinning it for a couple of months now seems to coincide with the arrival of the 500 
Ive said in the past you’re not going to the concert like most other audio brands do, With Naim audio it brings the concert to you.
Blows me away continuously.
Unfortunately volume control setting gives no idea whatsoever of how loud, other than to other people with exactly the same source, power amp with same gain, speakers with same sensitivity, room with same reflectivity, and same listening distance from speakers!
To be meaningful you need to use a sound level meter at the listening position - fortunately there are apps available for smartphones that give a reasonable indication. Following a comparison of several a couple of years ago I adopted Decibel X and dB Volume on my iPhone, both free. These gave similar readings, and used with common sounds they were consistent with publshed reference values and seemed similar to my memory of using proper meters some years previously. Others I treied read up to about 3dB different. Do make sure the “weighting” is set to dB(A) - some apps default to other weightings, such as dB(C) which with music can give up to about 6dB difference from the A weighting normally used for this sort of purpose.
1 Like
Doesn’t the answer to the OP’s question depend on the kind of music that you play?
I listen to classical music, piano, chamber; there is a natural leval, you obviously don’t want to be sitting right inside the piano.
The answer also depends on the nature of the recording: whether it’s close-miked or not, for instance. Some recordings make you think that the violin is as powerful as the whole of the orchestra - which sounds totally unnatural.
70-85dbA i guess. Sometimes i bit higher. System can play very loud - headroom is nice to have.
This reminded me in a way of my first visit to Acoustica many years ago.
I was standing with my back to the system listening and was asked if I was in an orchestra? It was explained that often musicians listen this way as it is what they will hear when playing, rather than an audience hearing point.
So would I listen to the piano on my system from the volume point of the pianist or the audience?
Interesting as I would likely go for audience level for piano and cellist level for cello…
Some recordings are done audience way round, some artist way round. With latter, as a member of the audience the instruments are transposed left-right compared to our normal experience, and if familiar with seeing the band/orchestra then it sounds wrong! (With close mic piano or other stereo instrument it will likewise sound ‘wrong’ one way round, depending on whether the listener is a musician or normally in the audience but close up. See this thread for more:
When I read all the comments here I became curious to find out how loud the music is I listen to.
I mean when I sit down and really listen. I used the iPhone app Decibel X to measure.
Not surprisingly the dynamics were larger and the average lower for classical music than for pop music.
But overall I came to these results:
-
For claasical the average was around 65db in the range between 35 and 75db
-
For pop music the average was around 75db in the range between 65 and 85db
2 Likes
Until the neighbours complain
2 Likes
Have they? Their classic, much loved and recently revived A1 integrated was 25wpc. Not exactly a muscle amp in my book.
Roger
1 Like
That nicely describes my experience with the Shahinian Obelisk 2’s as well. TBH, I can’t think of a speaker that I’ve owned or heard in a demo that wasn’t like that.
So my answer to the OP’s original question would be; yes, there’s a point that the Volume has to go to for the fully immersive experience to happen and generally it needs to be pretty loud on any speaker.
1 Like
Just curious to hear how much db is pretty loud for you.
Whenever I audition audio equipment I first play a continuous tone on the equipment then match the volume to the other equipment tested from my sitting position using Niosh.
I’ll be in the market for new speakers and a must is they play well (detailed & lively) at low volumes.
Very interesting topic. I have downloaded decibel x (thanks @JoostMollerus ) and will take a few readings for myself purely out of curiosity.
Being fortunate enough to have a detached house, I do not have to worry about neighbours but that said, I would always ensure the windows are closed because I would not want to cause nuisance in the outdoor space. We all enjoy our quiet time in the garden after all.
My limiting factors are my good Lady who dislikes loud music while she is present, and the mood I am in plus whether I am listening or just using music in the background.
I expect my system to deliver a very satisfying musical experience whether whisper quiet, very loud and everything in between. I wouldn’t consider a system balanced if it could not do this. Also, to be balanced, it must demonstrate adeptness with all genres.
1 Like
The word ‘specialised’ in this context means that so-called ‘muscle amps’ were a particular speciality of theirs. Still are.
Your comment about the A1 not being a muscle amp is accurate.
And your point is … what?
Naim specialise in high-end hi-fi electronics. But they also make the Muso QBII.
Interestingly I’d have said that over the years MF’s in the main has specialised in getting a good balance between sound quality and value for money, with a particular focus on class A amps. And yes, part of the value for money aspect has included producing British “muscle amps” to challenge Krell at a much lower price, though relatively speaking on a small-time basis.
The A1 was probably what put MF on the map. I’ve never heard one but it apparently offered a very different voicing to the main contenders at the time, ie. Linn, Naim. Meridian etc. being much warmer, sweeter and ‘valve-like’.
Being Class A it naturally ran very hot and pretty soon it got a reputation for unreliability.
MF then seemed to focus more on very high-power amps, which for some reason seemed to have then become the desirable thing to have. Krell became very popular for a while in the UK. I remember several reviewers swapping out their 250’s for Krell amps.
It was just a fad though. Pretty soon things like Audiolab and DNM were all the rage. It probably depended on what mags you read but to me it all felt like a very odd time. Lots of reviewers who owned Linn/Naim set-ups were suddenly junking them for whatever was the flavour of the month at the time. People were disposing of 32/Snaps/250’s in favour of Pioneer A400’s!
I know that Jimmy Hughes who reviewed for Hi-fi Answers mainly, took to using high-power MF amps after his DNM phase I think. I have a feeling he may still use them.
They did a good few power amps that were somewhat less than Krell challenging “muscle amps”, including several other class A after the A1 IIRC, or “heavily biased into class A”, also preamps, some very well reviewed. They also did speakers for a little while, but seemed to find more success with DACs.
Along with the new A1 I see they are releasing an LS3/5a. I’ve heard good things about the combination but LS3/5a’s for me are just a complete no-no.
The A1 made their reputation in their early days before they switched to making much more powerful amps. So I disagree that they have “always” specialised in muscle amps.
Roger
After decades in the amplification wilderness, I’m pleased to say that my newly acquired Naim system allows me to comfortably listen to Iron Maiden’s ‘Live After Death’ and Motorhead’s ‘No Sleep til Hammersmith’ at 110dB+ (measured from listening position), thus partially reliving a lost youth.
Other volume settings are available for those of a nervous disposition.