Sound level (VU) meters built in
NeilGabriel
Posts: 1,487
I have a couple of questions about these...been burning in my mind for years now:
1. Mine says amp sound level is about -20dB, which I believe given the fairly high volume level. But it says it is putting out 1-2 watts. Really?
2. If I put it up to 5-7 watts, it is about as loud as I can stand it. Is this really putting out only 5-7 watts (out of th 150 rating)??
3. Is the watt/dB a constant reationship across all amps or does it vary from amp to amp...in other words, is every amp that is at 1 watt at the same dB level (on the VU meter).
I am talking about the on board meter here and not an external sound pressure. Thanks....maybe I'll go pour a beer on my brain.
1. Mine says amp sound level is about -20dB, which I believe given the fairly high volume level. But it says it is putting out 1-2 watts. Really?
2. If I put it up to 5-7 watts, it is about as loud as I can stand it. Is this really putting out only 5-7 watts (out of th 150 rating)??
3. Is the watt/dB a constant reationship across all amps or does it vary from amp to amp...in other words, is every amp that is at 1 watt at the same dB level (on the VU meter).
I am talking about the on board meter here and not an external sound pressure. Thanks....maybe I'll go pour a beer on my brain.
Post edited by NeilGabriel on
Comments
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Trust your ears, not that electronic crap.
Use the VU meters as a reference to what the amp is being taxed instead.~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
Yes... you usually only use a watt or two (average). A watt is a watt in terms of spl (I think?) but it will sound different from amp to amp.
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I trust my ears, I just wanna know what this stuff means....if I can't understand the modern american automobile, I would like to understand what the audio dohickies do. I found some good articles on sound pressure and the VU meters and the difference between the dB ratng on the VU meter and a dB rating with a sound pressure meter. Well written stuff. Thanks.
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Google is your friend
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VU_meter
http://www.mediacollege.com/audio/monitoring/vu.html
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jun00/articles/metring.htm"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
