We had a REW tutorial in WBF some years ago: https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/room-measurement-tutorial-for-dummies-part-1.17765/
I use SpectraPlus most of the time: https://www.spectraplus.com/
Are we hurting our ears with clean power?
- Thread starter Kingrex
- Start date
We had a REW tutorial in WBF some years ago: https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/room-measurement-tutorial-for-dummies-part-1.17765/
I use SpectraPlus most of the time: https://www.spectraplus.com/
Thanks Micro. Right off tbe bat I was frustrated when I could not find a way to get windows to allow me to reduce the mic gain. I looked at a few online tutorial but my windows acts different. I thought I had found it but its greyed out.
Frustratingly too, windows is trying to update and saying the new update won't work with my CPU and my computer is going to fail. I went on a frantic backup frenzy. My version of windows is only 2 years old. The computer about 5.
Frustratingly too, windows is trying to update and saying the new update won't work with my CPU and my computer is going to fail. I went on a frantic backup frenzy. My version of windows is only 2 years old. The computer about 5.
I think its important to make a distinction between low noise floor (though this is ultimately distortion) and Distortion, which is additive to the signal and interacts with the signal to interfere/correlate with how we perceive instruments, resulting in subjective impressions of glare, hardening, shallowness, and timing/soundstage factors. I can listen all day long to tape noise, vinyl surface noise etc with no impact on my experience, as these are uncorrelated with the musical signal. Having a low noise floor is important to low level listening, but so is hearing the full harmonics and tones without turning it up.
I would agree that clean, low noise electrinics and media allow one to hear more information at lower levels.
That does not have any bearimg on what we do when it comes to turning it up.
I don't agree with vinyl surface noise as non impactful. I got my new phono pre and was cranking some older classical I like. There was a hum that was annoying me and I at first was pissed at the phono stage. Then I realized it was embedded ground issue hum that was in the recording electronics and is now a permanent part of the record.
I have also very reciently become poignantly aware a low noise piece of electronics has 0 to do with how well it presents in other much more important ways. In my person equipment rack, I have far more noisy equipment I would say create a significantly more realistic recreation of the instruments and performance. Noise is only a slice of the equation.
That does not have any bearimg on what we do when it comes to turning it up.
I don't agree with vinyl surface noise as non impactful. I got my new phono pre and was cranking some older classical I like. There was a hum that was annoying me and I at first was pissed at the phono stage. Then I realized it was embedded ground issue hum that was in the recording electronics and is now a permanent part of the record.
I have also very reciently become poignantly aware a low noise piece of electronics has 0 to do with how well it presents in other much more important ways. In my person equipment rack, I have far more noisy equipment I would say create a significantly more realistic recreation of the instruments and performance. Noise is only a slice of the equation.
Hi Kingrex,
I would point a few depedencies……the type of noise, how much of it there is and where it is.
A noisy circuit is only bothersome if that noise has a detrimental effect that affects the quality of the final music awareness produced by the brain. Noise in the wrong place can have a fairly devastating effect, depending on the above criterea. Take simple old groove noise, harmless in small quantities, devastating in larger amounts.
I’ve checked SPLs at concerts. Just the background level with people quietly talking before the show hits 85-90 dB. Acoustic taiko drums hit 117 dB. Home stereo sounds MUCH louder at 85 dB.
I always have earplugs at concerts. I don't seem to need them at the symphony.
I see clean power as less harmful than unclean power …. Played at respectful levels, clean power is all we need for healthy listening…
Can you use Spectra as a digital room correction. Like a piece of hardware between your server and DAC to correct for room distortion
I got my Reed today, which comes calibrated. Turns out the BAFX meters that I used give readings 2-4 dBa too high. While I worked with readings that were a bit on the high side, the good news for my ears is that my sound pressure exposure had been less than I had thought.
Thanks again, Ron, for the recommendation!
Thanks again, Ron, for the recommendation!
I was looking at the Reed sound level meter. I don't see where it says its calibrated.
That lead me to a Reed Sound Level Calibrator. Basically a tool that puts out a 94DB acoustic signal.
It makes me toy with the idea of getting the calibrator, then sending it to those who might want to use it for say $30 plus shipping. Then you can calibrate your mic, phone etc. Wear earplugs.
That lead me to a Reed Sound Level Calibrator. Basically a tool that puts out a 94DB acoustic signal.
It makes me toy with the idea of getting the calibrator, then sending it to those who might want to use it for say $30 plus shipping. Then you can calibrate your mic, phone etc. Wear earplugs.
The manual that comes with it says it's factory calibrated. Long-term I will certainly want to buy a Reed calibrator as well.
Manual:
From the manual:
Product Quality
This product has been manufactured in an ISO 9001 facility and has been calibrated during the manufacturing process to meet stated product specifications. If a certificate of calibration is required please contact the nearest authorized REED distributor or authorized Service Center. Please note an additional fee for this service will apply.
From the manual:
Product Quality
This product has been manufactured in an ISO 9001 facility and has been calibrated during the manufacturing process to meet stated product specifications. If a certificate of calibration is required please contact the nearest authorized REED distributor or authorized Service Center. Please note an additional fee for this service will apply.
As far as I can see it only has fast and slow modes, not real peak mode. It is an integrating meter optimized for noise and average sound level measurements. Nice to have an idea of sound levels, but inadequate for many audiophile measurement purposes.
I posted this article "Distorted Distortion" elsewhere recently but it seems very germane to the broader topic at hand. Have a read.
6moons.com
My own experience is that a high noise floor on the power line most definately contributes to listening fatigue. As a natural course, turning up the volume, turns up the distortion. Kingrex and Ed Davito of Ultra Audio are certainly significant authorities on this topic.
Distortion distortion
My own experience is that a high noise floor on the power line most definately contributes to listening fatigue. As a natural course, turning up the volume, turns up the distortion. Kingrex and Ed Davito of Ultra Audio are certainly significant authorities on this topic.
I posted this article "Distorted Distortion" elsewhere recently but it seems very germane to the broader topic at hand. Have a read.
Distortion distortion
My own experience is that a high noise floor on the power line most definately contributes to listening fatigue. As a natural course, turning up the volume, turns up the distortion. Kingrex and Ed Davito of Ultra Audio are certainly significant authorities on this topic.
Since I fixed my power situation with better in-wall wiring, a Furutech 6-way power distributor and ZenWave Audio power cables, distortion and fatigue have dramatically gone down.
interesting. But are there guidelines for how loud that noise (or music) should be during the 60 minutes?
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