question on sensitivity ratings.....

[TNTR70 10+ year member]

whats the difference between one sub with a sensitivity rating of say 86 db and one rated at 91 db....how much louder (if thats the right way to ask) would the higher db rating be and would that difference really be noticed in terms of spl?

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[Farmacist 10+ year member]

every 3db is said to be double as loud .... so 86+3=89,89+3 =91, so its 3 times as loud, or meaning you would need 3 of the 86db/1w speakers to produce the level of sound that the 1 91db 1/w speaker makes

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

whats the difference between one sub with a sensitivity rating of say 86 db and one rated at 91 db....how much louder (if thats the right way to ask) would the higher db rating be and would that difference really be noticed in terms of spl?

Subwoofer sensitivity ratings can all but be ignored. Not all companies measure the same in an attempt to make their product look artificially better, and NONE of them can take into account the enclosure effect once the speaker is purchased and installed. Lastly, most 'sensitivity ratings' for subs are measured at 1khz. Unless you plan on running your subs as free-air midrange drivers, its pretty worthless.

 

[TNTR70 10+ year member]

i understand what you're saying but that just seems to simple. i've heard the whole 3db sounds twice as loud but does it really work when it comes to metering?

so theoretically that would be like two 86 db rated 10"s hitting say 130db on a meter but i change them out for two 91 db rated 10"s and i start hitiing 136. that just sound too simple.....

 

[Boomin_tahoe 5,000+ posts]

Same with amps. Take a look at old school HiFonics amps...some of them are upwards of 117!!

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

Same with amps. Take a look at old school HiFonics amps...some of them are upwards of 117!!

What? //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/confused.gif.e820e0216602db4765798ac39d28caa9.gif

 

[Boomin_tahoe 5,000+ posts]

What? //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/confused.gif.e820e0216602db4765798ac39d28caa9.gif

db's man....

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

db's man....

What amplifier spec is in decibels? I think you are confused.

 

[RAM_Designs 5,000+ posts]

signal to noise ratio I assume...

 

[RAM_Designs 5,000+ posts]

every 3db is said to be double as loud .... so 86+3=89,89+3 =91, so its 3 times as loud, or meaning you would need 3 of the 86db/1w speakers to produce the level of sound that the 1 91db 1/w speaker makes

Um....no.

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

signal to noise ratio I assume...

Ah yes, S/N is in db's. But this is a thread on power output efficiency, there simply is no such spec for an amplifier.

 

[cam5860 10+ year member]

Sensitivity ratings are a big deal when it comes to full range speakers. The higher the rating the less power it takes to produce just as much sound. So if you are using a headunit you need 90db to 94 db ratings for good sound.

 

[Boomin_tahoe 5,000+ posts]

Ah yes, S/N is in db's. But this is a thread on power output efficiency, there simply is no such spec for an amplifier.

That's what I meant. sorry for the konfusion...