Tbadder1,
So if it is true that the Continuums need over 85db to really shine...
Not so!!! They are designed to be extremely linear from a dynamic standpoint. This doesn't just mean at the high volume/transient extreme either. We're talking both ways - up and down the dynamic ladder. Micro-dynamics "make the music" just as much as the transients do. Without sufficient dynamic linearity, the subtle details get lost, the ambient decay drops off suddenly and the speakers sound like canned AM radio - sterile and lifeless. We don't do that at SP Tech. It doesn't sound good. We like speakers to sound good.
There are three reasons why one may tend to listen louder, other than the fact he/she likes it loud. The first reason is, it seems all music has an SPL that it prefers to be played at. AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, etc. - no need for further explanation here. Mozart just ain’t the same at 105db either.
The second reason is a little more complex. The human ear has sensitivity issues with regards to frequency. Did you know a 20Hz signal HAS to be at least 85dB to even hear it? I’m sure there’s an exception somewhere but that’s considered average for most listeners. You want to hear the deep bass? You HAVE to turn it up.
The third reason is even more complex. In a room, there is a point where the level of reflected energy is the same volume as the direct energy coming from the speaker. This is called the “
critical distance.” That distance is totally a function of the room’s absorption characteristics. Because sound absorbing materials are typically non-linear with regards to how much sound they soak up, it has been discovered that the critical distance can be “pushed” further back into the room. How do you “push” it? With VOLUME! As you increase the SPL, the ratio of direct energy to reflected energy increases at a given listening location.
Every good sound engineer knows that if he’s mixing a gig in a bad venue (highly reverberant room), he can somewhat compensate by turning up the volume of the house system. Consonant intelligibility increases and the audience can hear the “mix” better. There is a theoretical limit to this but it does work pretty well in most cases. So that’s why the last rock concert was so loud…well, that’s may be part of the reason anyway. That… and the soundman is deaf by now.
Anyway, audiophiles may be doing the same thing with their systems in their homes. Are you trying to hear all the detail in a recording? I know I do. Well, you may find yourself wanting to turn up the volume then. Are you a head-bashing metal junkie? You don’t have to be to still want it a little loud. All you’re doing is pushing the critical distance back further into the room when you do. Isn’t that part of the reason you obsess over this hobby to begin with – because you want to hear every detail such that it sounds like live music? Forgive yourself…it’s not your fault…you can’t help it. Repeat ad infinitum.
If you can’t/won’t play at louder volumes, then you might want to consider acoustic treatment of your room. Making it deader will bring the critical distance out further into the room. You won’t need as much volume then to have the same effect. But then you'll have a dead room (if you aren't careful). That opens another whole can of worms.
So here we go, even more complexities to ponder. Do you NEED to turn it up loud? The truth is, you just might. It’s OK, I understand…and so do our speakers. In fact, they like it. Just ask them, they’ll tell you so.
-Bob
