Laserfiche WebLink
Perceptions of Increases in Decibel Level <br />, Imperceptible Change <br />1dB <br />Barely Perceptibie Change <br />3d6 <br />Clearly Noticeable Change ' <br />5d6 <br />About Twice as Loud <br />10d6 <br />About Four Times as Loud <br />20d6 <br />Sound Levels of Music <br />Normai piano practice <br />60 -70dB <br />Fortissimo Singer, 3' <br />70d6 . <br />Chamber music, small auditorium <br />75 - 85dB <br />Piano Fortissimo <br />84 - 103d6 <br />Violin <br />82 - 92dB <br />Cello <br />85 -111d6 <br />Oboe <br />95-112d6 <br />Flute <br />92 -103d6 <br />Piccolo <br />90 -106d8 <br />Clarinet <br />85 - 114d6 <br />French horn <br />90 - 106d6 <br />Trombone <br />85 - 114dB <br />Tympani & bass drum <br />106dB ' <br />Walkman on 5/10 <br />94d6 <br />Symphonic music peak <br />120 - 137dB <br />Amplifier rock, 4-6' <br />120dB <br />Rock music peak <br />150dB <br />NOTES: <br />• One-third of the total power of a 75-piece orchestra comes from the bass drum. <br />• High frequency sounds of 2-4,000 Hz are the most damaging. The uppermost octave of the piccolo <br />is 2,048-4,096 Hz. <br />• Aging causes gradual hearing loss, mostly in the high frequencies. <br />• Speech reception is not seriously impaired until there is about 30 dB loss; by that time severe <br />damage may have occurred. <br />• Hypertension and various psychological difficulties can be related to noise exposure. <br />• The incidence of hearing loss in classical musicians has been estimated at 4-43%, in rock musicians <br />13-30%. <br />Statistics for the Decibel (Loudness) Comparison Chart were taken from a study by Marshall Chasin , <br />M.Sc., Aud(C), FAAA, Centre for Human Pertormance & Health, Ontario, Canada. There were some <br />conflicting readings and, in many cases, authors did not specify at what distance the readings were taken <br />or what the musician was actually playing. In general, when there were several readings, the higher one <br />was chosen. <br />42 <br />