Steve999
smooth, DARK
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2002
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Wow...60 to 80 dB? That's basically 'normal conversation' to 'dial tone' levels!
What would your peaks get to playing back well-recorded music?
Agreed, 99 dB is not comfortable for sustained levels and extended periods.
That said, I'm interested in peak levels that can at least get close to replicating live conditions...understanding that recorded music is somewhat limited compared to the live experience.
Yes, I've listened to music (under measured conditions that peaked north of 100 dB) Most likely, you have as well?
Normal concert levels peak in the 100-120 dB SPL levels (chart below). Heck, even Jazz concerts register in the 90's...
As far as the test goes, I can't surmise why they didn't detect the difference. Maybe nobody cared about replicating live conditions? Which would be a huge miss in my book!
Did you find an SPL number/range anywhere in the article?
Also, given your point that our ears aren't as sensitive in real world/speakers conditions ('In the real world with sound coming out of speakers playing music in a room, our ears aren't as sensitive as hearing test tones in an anechoic chamber') , is it possible that this reduced sensitivity might 'bias' the results at lower listening levels? Meaning, that we'd be able to discern differences more easily in conditions that allowed for live music levels? Posing the question for the group to think on...have no idea what the psychacoustic science behind it is or the impact it would have on being able to discern equipment differences.
Lastly, regarding the Maggie's -- having owned these speakers (and several others very nice ones), I can state that my experience was that the Maggie's definitely needed amps with 400+ wpc to achieve realistic sound levels in large rooms with a listening position 12-15 feet from the speakers.
Regarding Magneplanar's amp recommendations, there's a reason the range goes to 1000 watts...the headroom is needed to sound realistic. As far as the 50 watt number, given this group's trust level for audio equipment vendors, I'm surprised that we'd consider that low number to be 'real'...snake-oil and all.
Seriously, think about trying to sell speakers and telling people you need 400+ wpc amps to run them properly...not a message the marketing department would want to deliver.
That all is pretty darn speculative, IMHO. I keep a decibel meter by my listening position at home. For me 70 dB average for music in the home at the listening position for any reasonable period of time is definitely a little uncomfortable. Over 90 dB at home at the listening position for me is ridiculous, even for peaks. That’s either a weighted or c weighted. And we don’t know how the Pioneer handled peaks. The test was over 40 years ago. We’ve picked it apart to death. It’s not the be all and end all but it had a lot going for it and it is one piece of important information. And again, who cares? Time to move on to other stuff, maybe less than 40 years old, IMHO. And to change the focus of the thread to testing and away from wild speculation.
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