At 03:03 AM 2/4/2003, Chris DeLong wrote: >This part that you stated; was it measured by ear or by a meter or scope of >some sort. a common misunderstanding about audio potentiometers (your volume >knob) is that is you have it cranked halfway up you are using half of the >power the amp has to deliver. This is not correct. Thats why dB's are there. >every increase in volume by a knob designed for an audio application is not >linear. It essentially doubles the power for every increase in SPL. I.E. at >"2" on the knob you might be using .25W. at "3" on the knob you might be >using .5W. and so on ans so forth. To clarify a little more, the Bel and tenth-Bel (deciBel) were developed by Bell Telephone engineers for the purpose of telephone communications, and they're deliberately designed to reflect the way your ear works. One decibel difference produces a volume change that is perceptible to a careful and/or trained listener; 3 dB is easily detected by anyone, and 10 dB gives a difference in perceived volume of about double or half. In terms of actual power in a circuit, or acoustic energy in the air, a 3 dB change represents double or half power, and 10 dB, or one Bel, is ten times or one-tenth the power. A dynamic range of 90 dB, easily achieved on a CD, represents a range of power of 1:1,000,000, but "only" an audible difference of about 1:500. david -- David Beierl -- dbeierl@attglobal.net |
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