DB readings, do they really tell the whole story?

[edenwildfood]

so I just got my compatto target in 22 and have been playing with it in the basement. 

It has some sort of bundled silencer on it that to my ears sounds ok. Not super quiet but backyard friendly enough for now.

I took some db readings alongside my other backyard squirrel gun, the hw50s. 

According to my app they are both around the same db reading. Maybe the compatto even a db or 2 higher. 

However it sounds quieter to me. And also it sound less gun like, so stands out less than the higher pitched tone from the 177 springer. 

I think maybe db doesn't tell the whole story as humans tend to pay attention to higher pitched sounds more. 



Thoughts

 

[MacGyver]

You may already know this, so I apologize if that's the case, but keep in mind that a 3 db increase is double. So 103 db is twice as loud as 100 db. 10dB is 10 times more intense than 1dB, while 20dB is 100 times more intense than 1dB.

 

[edenwildfood]

You may already know this, so I apologize if that's the case, but keep in mind that a 3 db increase is double. So 103 db is twice as loud as 100 db. 10dB is 10 times more intense than 1dB, while 20dB is 100 times more intense than 1dB.

Yeah but my phone meter isn't all that sensitive both were peak 92db most of the shots

 

[Dairyboy]

Gotta also remember the Springer's have way more mechanics working in them that makes them sound much louder to you. 

 

[MacGyver]

Gotta also remember the Springer's have way more mechanics working in them that makes them sound much louder to you.

Good point. A buddy of mine borrowed my meter to test a Donny FL and couldn't figure out why it made no difference. Turns out the .45 slug hitting the steel target down range was the peak the meter was reading.

 

[Dairyboy]

Gotta also remember the Springer's have way more mechanics working in them that makes them sound much louder to you.

Good point. A buddy of mine was testing a Donny FL and couldn't figure out why it made no difference. Turns out the .45 slug hitting the steel target down range was the peak the meter was reading.

Lol yeah to me as long as the gun report is quieter than the impact of the projectile that's all I need

 

[edenwildfood]

Yeah actually I should try shooting it over the phone out the window to check the sound of it hitting my box/blanket backstop isn't the peak. But I'm pretty sure it isnt

The hw50 is a motorhead tuned gun and the internals dont make.much noise any more

 

[stoti]

Most people focus on the dB reading because that’s what people test. It is important but so is tone and pitch. People perceive each differently, so although the dB readings may be the same, the pitch or tone will be different and perceived differently. 

Stoti

 

[Guest]

I wouldn’t trust a phone app

 

[Eaglebeak]

I wouldn’t trust a phone app

Yep. Phone apps aren't capable of reading above 80 DBs because of limitations of their microphones. They are also not reliable for short burst sounds like gunshots. If you look into the info of the app, it should be explained to you.

 

[FishDiveHunt]

Phone apps inherently inaccurate

 

[shoot44]

.

 

[CurlyWoods]

You may already know this, so I apologize if that's the case, but keep in mind that a 3 db increase is double. So 103 db is twice as loud as 100 db. 10dB is 10 times more intense than 1dB, while 20dB is 100 times more intense than 1dB.

In stereo world 3db is perceivable difference, but it takes 10 db to be detected as double the output levels.



Levels in decibels (dB) and their different factors

 

[MacGyver]

Thanks for adding that, Curlywoods. I was somewhat brief in my post. If I'm looking at signal loss power is important, but with humans perception is king. Somewhere I have a great spreadsheet I created years ago that plots all the readings on a graph. Wish I could find it.

 

[dan_house]

Tone plays a big part of your perception of how quiet it is



my form 1 22lr can is on avg 3db louder (on an airgun) than most of my airgun devices on the same gun

but the differences in TONE make it seem sooooooo much quieter. (think piano playing middle c vs a trumpet playing middle C, same frequency)



No db numbers dont tell the whole story. Higher numbers that go “thump” are gonna be perceived quieter than lower numbers that go “pop”

 

[FredAZ]

You need to look at the magnitude of the whole spectrum.....how much energy at every frequency.

dB meters give some idea of the overall response as shaped by a particular weighting curve. A fine measure, but far from the whole story.

What is needed is to measure how much power, at each frequency for what duration.

The proper device is an RTSA - Real Time Spectrum Analyzer - a spendy item that can't be replicated by an app on your phone.