I tend to listen with peaks at around 75dB (around 9 on my SN3). Occasional enthusiasm pushes that level up, but not so often.
If its helpful NIOSH SLM is a (free) production level sound measurement app for iPhone. The Apple watch’s built in measurement app gives a more conservative reading.
Volume control setting is an absolutely meaningless indication of loudness other than to someone with tge same amp, speakers, source, room and listening distance…
There have been multiple threads on this sibject, one very recently:
In my case it of course depends on the music. I commonly listen - but to music not to my system - around 80dB average, sound level, not infrequently higher, occasionally quite a bit higher and occasionally lower.
One thing I find though is that things start feeling louder as a listening session goes on. I find myself nudging the volume down several times over the hour.
A more meaningful method of comparison is to determine the Relative Difference and Power Ratio between the loudness level of your music and the ambient noise in your room.
For example, suppose you listen to music at 70 dB and your room’s ambient noise is 30 dB. Meanwhile, another person listens to music at the same level of 70 dB, but their room’s ambient noise is approximately 36 dB. In this case, you would calculate the Relative Difference and Power Ratio for both scenarios to make a comparison.
If listening at very low levels that would indeed be meaningful, but I don’t think very relevant if listening at, say, 60 or 70 dB upwards - and anyway suspect that is pushing most people’s abilities a tad far!
On my main system (NDX2 252 active 250’s 808’s) which is in a detached house, usually 21:00 on the dial or sometimes 22:00
In my apartment system (NDX2 SN3), usually 20:00 and very occasionally 21:00 if I know my neighbour directly above is out.
Unfortunately volume control setting doesn’t give any indication of sound level to anyone unless they have an identical system, room and listening distance…
The concept of noise floor and its impact on high-fidelity audio experiences, especially in a high-end Hi-Fi setup, is quite significant. Increasing the loudness of music does not remove or reduce the noise floor. If you’re arguing for the sake of argument, I have no further comment.
90+ seems jolly loud, even for very brief bits of vigour, the gap between songs still scores nearly 30 (more if the wind is blowing, birds are singing, the kettle is on or whatever), and the average seems to be nearly 70. All those numbers are lower if we are trying to chat as well as listen or if we are playing Canto Gregoriano or solo piano or whatever.
That’s about 8pm on the 82’s volume knob, but without knowing the rest (250, Neat Xplorers etc) and that I am about 10’ from the speakers, I am not sure how much that tells anyone.
This may say more about my age, past life and the music most usually played than about much else.
That I understand. And I was not fundamentally disagreeing with you, rather my point was that the noise floor relevance decreases as sound level rises. I don’t think people play at 85 instead of 80 because their noise floor is 35 not 30, whereas when listening quietly they may very well listen at 55 instead of 50 for that reason, even though they may not recognise tat’s what they’re doing.
The background noise in our apartment seems to be around 45-50db with the outside doors open. (some city noise, distant airplanes, birds etc.)
Listening to “Touch The Sky” by Black Pumas, the peak is around 65db at 20:00 on the dial and at 21:00 on the dial it’s peaking at around 75 maxing at 77.7db.
That sounds pretty loud and probably pushing beyond the boundaries of being neighbourly!
Using DecibelX on iPhone.
Listening at a higher volume does not diminish the importance of the ambient noise floor.
There are always quiet passages in music, regardless of the listening volume. During quieter moments in a track, the ambient noise can become more noticeable. This can detract from the overall listening experience, as the subtle details in the music might be masked by this background noise.
A lower noise floor is crucial for accurately perceiving the separation and layering of instruments in a recording. Ambient noise can blur these distinctions and reduce the clarity and precision that Hi-Fi systems strive to deliver.
The perception of depth and the positioning of instruments within the soundstage can be significantly affected by ambient noise. A high noise floor can flatten the soundstage, making it harder to perceive the intended spatial qualities of the recording.
In high-end Hi-Fi systems, which aim to reproduce sound with utmost accuracy and clarity, managing the ambient noise floor is crucial. Instead of masking noise with loudness, it is essential to create an environment with the lowest possible noise floor to fully appreciate the nuances and quality of the audio.
Hitting mid 80s or poking 90 is probably okay. It’s where your SPL idles for the majority that really counts. 60-65 feels about right to me.
Interesting the discussion about ambient noise. I’ve a soundproof room that building regs mandate two air exchange units for the volume of space to be on 247 since the room seals tight. I hate these units. They might be made for studios but they are very loud. I turn one off and the other to half power (warned never to do this) otherwise the ambient noise is about 55db!