10 dB = Twice as loud

[donpisto 5,000+ posts]

I have been told by someone that "10 dB is double the loudness."

Now, I have always heard it is 3 dB. Can someone explain the truth? I'd like to hear from people who know this for a fact, rather than hearsay.

EDIT: Read post #34 on Page 3 to get a clearer idea of what I'm trying to figure out since there are statments going both ways involving different variables.

Click to read more...

 

[adio 5,000+ posts]

i heard that plenty of times too

 

[ARSkemp 10+ year member]

mathematically, 3db is double the sound intensity

what the majority of people "perceive" as double as loud to ear is 10db

 

[chillin 10+ year member]

x2,

3db is about the minimum change in amplitude that you can hear

 

[Haunz 10+ year member]

clowns aside...... a 6db increase is equal to 2x the sound pressure... And IIRC at a C weighted measurement a 10db increase is generally perceived to be 2x as loud...

And a 1db change in intensity is on the cusp of audibility... //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

[luvinthebass 5,000+ posts]

hmm

 

[Jekku 10+ year member]

If power doubles i.e. 100W -> 200W it increases sound level by 3db.

 

[OoMesKoO 10+ year member]

If power doubles i.e. 100W -> 200W it increases sound level by 3db.

In theory.

 

[vehementSPL 10+ year member]

I call the BS flag. I have heard something like under 130 10 db is double. 10 db doesn't sound twice as loud it sounds 10 times. Freq does come into play though. Think about it like this. If 10 db was only double to the ear. 160db would only sound 4 times louder as 140 to the ear which is CRAP > means 170 would only sound 8 times louder then 140. (obviously not many people here have heard a 160 sitting next to a 140 lol... that is a LOT louder then 4 times to the ear. IF this was correct about double. I have done single 12's with 600 watts that were breaking a 140 on a lab from the rear. Now are you telling me tommy mckinney's (loudest bass race vehicle in the world). only sounds 4 times louder? lol ha ha . I could tell about 100 times the difference but make your assumptions but that is 100 percent inaccurate

 

[UndercoverPunk 5,000+ posts]

I call the BS flag. I have heard something like under 130 10 db is double. 10 db doesn't sound twice as loud it sounds 10 times. Freq does come into play though. Think about it like this. If 10 db was only double to the ear. 160db would only sound 4 times louder as 140 to the ear which is CRAP > means 170 would only sound 8 times louder then 140. (obviously not many people here have heard a 160 sitting next to a 140 lol... that is a LOT louder then 4 times to the ear. IF this was correct about double. I have done single 12's with 600 watts that were breaking a 140 on a lab from the rear. Now are you telling me tommy mckinney's (loudest bass race vehicle in the world). only sounds 4 times louder? lol ha ha . I could tell about 100 times the difference but make your assumptions but that is 100 percent inaccurate

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/eyebrow.gif.fe2c18d8720fe8c7eaed347b21ea05a5.gif

 

[iamamp3pimp 5,000+ posts]

i agree with VehementSPL

3db is twice the audible pressure.

 

[vehementSPL 10+ year member]

I have seen things that agree with what they are saying but all the things I have seen are not freq to freq comparison and that is crap. same freq 3db probably will sound pretty close to twice as loud. . ALso one more example. are you saying if you went from 600 watts to 2400 watts to your two 15's it would only sound 40 percent louder lol

 

[mile098 10+ year member]

2400:600=4

4x3 dbs=12 dbs

twice and add some...3dbs is twice as loud true, but in theory, not to the human ear...just like theres a big *** difference between 0.00009 THD and 2%...but to the human ear they sound the same

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

I call the BS flag. I have heard something like under 130 10 db is double. 10 db doesn't sound twice as loud it sounds 10 times. Freq does come into play though. Think about it like this. If 10 db was only double to the ear. 160db would only sound 4 times louder as 140 to the ear which is CRAP > means 170 would only sound 8 times louder then 140. (obviously not many people here have heard a 160 sitting next to a 140 lol... that is a LOT louder then 4 times to the ear. IF this was correct about double. I have done single 12's with 600 watts that were breaking a 140 on a lab from the rear. Now are you telling me tommy mckinney's (loudest bass race vehicle in the world). only sounds 4 times louder? lol ha ha . I could tell about 100 times the difference but make your assumptions but that is 100 percent inaccurate

What does 'twice as loud' sound like anyway? Its like saying something is twice as yellow as another object.
3db, 6db, 10db... doubling of audible 'intensity', sounding 'twice' as loud... you are all just arguing semantical defintions.

Of all the definitions and distinctions out there, none of them claim a 10db increase is '10x as loud'. I dont know of anyone who considers a jump from 100db to 120db to be '20x as loud'. Well except you that is.

This topic gets debated here alot, and it always boils down to people arguing over what 'twice as loud' even means. Its silly. Again, might as well discuss twice as yellow. Otherwise, stick to mathematical representations and leave the descriptive words like twice as loud or double the intensity at home.

 

[UndercoverPunk 5,000+ posts]

My dick is twice as cock as yours. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/fyi.gif.9f1f679348da7204ce960cfc74bca8e0.gif