3db, am I the only one who hears it?

[Plstrns]

db is not a measurement, but a multiple ie- the difference in 90 and 93 db may be subtle. The difference in 130 and 133 db, not so much.

Why do we believe 3 db is barely noticeable? It's simply not true at high volume where we expect to hear a difference.

[ugly_bassplayer]

Decibel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[ugly_bassplayer]

Sound pressure - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[ugly_bassplayer]

Loudness - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Have fun, it's all in those 3 links.

[seamonkey]

It changes depending on the starting loudness and the frequency, and your age

Equal-loudness contour - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

120db to 123db isn't noticeable
20 to 23db is very noticeable at 1k

[ugly_bassplayer]

Fletcher

Forgot this one. Flethcer Munson curve.

[FunkMetalBass]

Originally Posted by Plstrns

db is not a measurement, but a multiple ie- the difference in 90 and 93 db may be subtle. The difference in 130 and 133 db, not so much.

Why do we believe 3 db is barely noticeable? It's simply not true at high volume where we expect to hear a difference.

Since it is directly convertible into the traditional S.I. units, the decibel is arguably a measurement, but on a logarithmic scale.

Also, I was totally under the impression that the human ear could only discern changes of 3 or more decibels. Where did you hear otherwise?

[David1234]

Whether 3dB is noticeable depends what the sound is and what kind of listening you're doing.

If you're listening to a concert and the level jumps 3dB most people won't notice, due to the hustle and bustle of live music environments. If it jumps 5dB most people will.

On the other hand if you're trying hard to discern differences in volume or tone between two similar sounds, you can often detect a mere 0.5 dB of difference.

[ugly_bassplayer]

Originally Posted by David1234

On the other hand if you're trying hard to discern differences in volume or tone between two similar sounds, you can often detect a mere 0.5 dB of difference.

[Plstrns]

I can, always have. I watched it on an o scope for years and 3db I notice. Maybe I trained myself to ? Or, maybe my perception of 3 db is skewed from listening at moderate volume?

[seamonkey]

Have some fun

Equal loudness contours and audiometry - Test your own hearing

[Plstrns]

Or let me say it a different way. When I double my power and enclosures it's an impressive amount of volume, not just half again. When I double my enclosures I notice easily.

[teleharmonium]

Originally Posted by FunkMetalBass

Also, I was totally under the impression that the human ear could only discern changes of 3 or more decibels. Where did you hear otherwise?

That is absolutely not true. We can discern fractions of a db. I do it all the time when recording, such as when setting makeup gain in a compressor or parametric EQ band cut/boost amounts.

[Melvin7822]

I think 3dB is easy to notice. It's 1dB or less that's difficult.

[rpsands]

Two things:
1. doubling enclosures with solid state amps is closer to 6db

2. Fletcher munson (Equal loudness contour) is a big culprit here. When you go from 90db of 100hz, to 93db of 100hz, the apparent loudness of the bass region relative to everything else you're playing changes more than 3db. Since the majority of your volume is from say 200hz on down, these play a big role in how loud you feel the sound is.

[Plstrns]

Nice, I think that's what I was looking for!

[billfitzmaurice]

Originally Posted by FunkMetalBass

Also, I was totally under the impression that the human ear could only discern changes of 3 or more decibels. Where did you hear otherwise?

That would be from Bell Labs, who invented the decibel scale in 1928. After testing a thousand or so people the minimum average change audible to them was classified as 1 decibel (a previous standard was called the MSC). It took place at a specified frequency and intensity, so it doesn't hold true for all frequencies and intensities.

[chadds]

Fletcher carries my gear. Munson sets it up. My rig sounds so very good. Munson takes it down after the gig while I chat with the honies. ( I don't need their help recognizing curves) Fletcher collects the check from the barkeep, loads my gear, while scheduling next full years gigs at a higher pay. F&M drive my stuff home while I sleep or have a drink or kiss a honey. They load it in while we get tucked in.
Just saying. Isn't science wonderful?