5/18/2023 0 Comments Decibel to watt![]() ![]() Using a 1000 watt amplifier increases the speaker output level by 30dBĮxample 1: A speaker with a rated sensitivity of 87dB (1w/1m) when driven by a 100 watt amplifier (20dB gain over 1 watt) will produce a maximum sound level of 107dB (87+20) when measured 1 meter away.Įxample 2: If you stand 1 meter away from a speaker with a rated sensitivity of 87db (1w/1m), then you will hear a level of 87dB if it is driven with 1 watt of power.Using a 100 watt amplifier increases the speaker output level by 20dB.Using a 10 watt amplifier increases the speaker output level by 10dB.Doubling the amplifier power increases the speaker output level by 3dB.Some general rules of thumbs to remember: What if the power is increased?Īs the amplifier power to the speaker is increased above the 1 watt reference, the output of the speaker will increase. But what happens when you increase the amplifier power, and/or increase the distance? Glad you asked, read on. The speaker sensitivity figure tells us how loud the speaker will be with a 1 watt amplifier, and when standing 1 meter away from the speaker. Alternatively, it can help you determine how powerful an amplifier you will need. Speaker sensitivity can be used to determine how loud your speaker will be in different situations. It is just one issue for consideration when selecting speakers. Speaker sensitivity has nothing to do with the sound quality of the speaker, just how loud it will be for a given power input. Sensitivity is just one factor of a speaker, it doesn’t indicate quality or lack of quality. See the section below on “comparing apples with apples” for some of the differences you may come across or need to be aware of. When comparing speaker sensitivity figures, keep in mind that different manufactures may arrive at their figures differently. If you want to connect Speaker A and Speaker C to the same amplifier, then Speaker C will be 6dB louder than Speaker A. This may not may seem much, but when you realize that 3dB is the same as doubling the amplifier power, it can be significant. Speaker B will be 3dB louder than speaker A. In the specifications, under speaker sensitivity, for each speaker it states: Let’s say you are looking at three different speakers. This means that speaker produces a level of 87dB when driven with 1 watt of power and measured 1 meter in front. Therefore when you look at the specifications for a speaker, you will see something like: Measuring speaker sensitivity is not difficult in concept, but is mainly done by speaker manufacturers and independent consultants.Ī sound level meter measures Sound Pressure Level (SPL), and is measured in decibels (dB).īasically, the sound output of a speaker is measured with a calibrated sound level meter. To be consistent, speaker sensitivity should be measured 1 meter from the speaker with 1 watt of power coming from the amplifier. In others words, how loud the speaker will be for a given amplifier power. Speaker sensitivity is a measurement of how well a speaker converts the amplifier power to to acoustic energy. ![]()
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