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Calculate The SPL of A Speaker At A Given Power At Your Seating Area
Ai Powered Calculator
If you are a Mr.Perfectionist then you can do a few of these steps to make the calculated value perfect. If you are concerned about amplifier headroom then minus that headroom value from the calculated value.
If you want to place the speakers near the walls then add 3 dB to the calculated value, if you will place it at the corners then add 6 dB, and if away from the walls then add nothing.
How To Use This SPL Calculator?
- Put the sensitivity of your speakers in the first field. This sensitivity is written as 85 dB @ 1 watt/ 1 meter. You need to put this 85 into this field.
- Put the power in watts in this field. The power that you can afford to deliver
- Put the value of how much away from the speakers your seating area is in this third field.
What Does This Calculator Do For You?
This calculator helps you with three different things.
To Know Which Speaker Sensitivity You Need
This calculator helps you to know which speaker sensitivity matches your home theater needs.
You can further read my this guide to know why sensitivity is important. How Many Watts Is Good For Speakers/Subwoofer?
To Know Which Power Amplifier You Need
This calculator will give you a rough idea of how much power you need for your speakers to get the desired sound experience out of them.
You can put all the speakers’ sensitivities and your distance from them. You will get a rough idea of how much power you should arrange for your stereo system. In the end, you will know which power amplifier you need for your system.
To Know Which Sound Pressure Level Will You Get
You need at least 75 dB of sound from each speaker at your seating position for the best and most homogeneous home theater experience.
This calculator will help you to know which SPL will you get at your seating position if you put a specific speaker sensitivity and power supply into the tool.
FAQs
What is a good SPL level?
A good SPL level for speakers is from 75-80db. Because above that can damage your ears and below this will not sound unless you are a person that is comfortable with low sound.
If you are using the speakers for home theater purposes then put each speaker at one SPL level and do the same for home stereo purposes. You don’t need to have different SPL levels for each speaker in the system.
You need them to have uniformity in their sound.
How big of an amplifier do I need?
You need an amplifier that can provide at least 20% of headroom from the total power your speaker system needs.
If you calculated the power needed with the help of the calculator on this page then you need to have a 20% more power-delivering capability of the amplifier.
What is an amplifier headroom? You should leave an amount of power with the amplifier that it can deliver at the time of the speakers’ sound peak. This is called the headroom. You don’t need to clip the speakers at their peak.
What is a good speaker sensitivity?
The 85 dB is the most common and good sensitivity. The sensitivity of the speaker decides how much SPL will you get at your position with a supplied power.
