 Subaru1-3-2-4Premium
join:2001-05-31
Greenwich, CT | Sound question If one set of horns as a pair sound at 118dB if I add another pair would it be louder or still 118dB? |
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| If you have two and add two more then you would increase to 121db. Double the cone area or double the power will give you a 3db increase in volume. |
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 mocyclerPremium
join:2001-01-22
Naperville, IL
 ·AT&T U-Verse
1 edit | reply to Subaru
To add to what battleop  said, +3 dB = a doubling in power (which does not necessarily mean 2x as loud).
For example, normal human conversation averages in the 60 dB range, while a nearby jet engine is around 120. You don't need careful scientific measurements to figure out that a human voice x2 would be nowhere near as loud as a jet. Sound volume and audio amplifiers are not linear, ie, double the power ≠ double the volume.
In the case of speakers, you also have to factor in the inefficiency of the speakers & the amplifier. That dives into an area of physics that I'll leave to someone who actually understands it, but in real-world terms going from two speakers to four will give you less than a doubling in total volume.
mocycler |
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Subaru1-3-2-4Premium
join:2001-05-31
Greenwich, CT | Thanks, so it's not worth it to spend the extra $76 on another pair. |
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 SparkChaserR.I.P. DocPremium
join:2000-06-06
Downingtown, PA
kudos:3
1 edit | reply to Subaru
Damn Man, from one who is losing his hearing, be careful.
What do you need horns for? With those lights you have they'll see you  |
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Subaru1-3-2-4Premium
join:2001-05-31
Greenwich, CT | stock horns on a Subaru are known not to turn heads when blown 
also I will get those readings for you about to set up the power supply |
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 Mr NeutronLooks like I picked the wrong week toPremium
join:2005-05-30
Gorham, ME | said by Subaru:stock horns on a Subaru are known not to turn heads when blown That may be true, but if they're 118dB, they're not likely to be ignored, either.
As a previous poster pointed out, a jet engine is rated at 120dB. Even with the roar of traffic, I have a hard time believing that they're not going to get fellow motorist's attention.
(Though if they're on a goddamn cell phone, all bets are off.)
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We could use the £5,000 to buy a spoon. And then fill up with ice cream. |
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Subaru1-3-2-4Premium
join:2001-05-31
Greenwich, CT | The 118dB i quoted are from Hella Supertones.. I have no clue what the Subaru horns are rated at.. I do know that the supertones are a little louder then stock as I found out this past June 6th. |
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Mr NeutronLooks like I picked the wrong week toPremium
join:2005-05-30
Gorham, ME | said by Subaru:The 118dB i quoted are from Hella Supertones.. I have no clue what the Subaru horns are rated at.. I do know that the supertones are a little louder then stock as I found out this past June 6th. Ah, thanks for the clarification.
I was actually pretty impressed that Subaru would see fit to issue 118dB horns with their vehicles. Of course, that turned out not to be the case.
Just out of curiosity, do you know what the stock ones happened to be rated at?
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We could use the £5,000 to buy a spoon. And then fill up with ice cream. |
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Subaru1-3-2-4Premium
join:2001-05-31
Greenwich, CT | no clue.. I can try and find out |
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Subaru1-3-2-4Premium
join:2001-05-31
Greenwich, CT | reply to Mr Neutron
they are about 110dB for stock |
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mocyclerPremium
join:2001-01-22
Naperville, IL Reviews:
·AT&T U-Verse
| One thing to keep in mind is that 110 dB value is probably more marketing hype than actual performance.
Also, speakers will not have consistent output across their range. If you were to plot a graph of output dB vs. frequency, you will find the speaker gain varies widely across the band and may hit the 110 dB claimed value only in one tiny place. On top of that, two speakers will not have the same curve.
Some high end speakers come with a graph prepared especially for that particular unit. If you are lucky, the manufacturer will sell them as a matched pair, ie., they find two speakers with graphs that very closely match. Prepare to pay $$ but that's the cost of being a purist.
The graph above is of a hypothetical speaker output. Notice the output peaks just above 20 Hz and drops significantly after that. By time you get to around 200 Hz you are already down to -3 dB, four times less output (for the same input) you had at 20 Hz. The response wiggles and dances throughout the rest of the range, and drops off around 20 kHz which is beyond most human hearing range anyway.
The marketing hacks will take the peak 20 Hz reading and use it to sell you a product, not bothering to mention you won't get that kind of performance at all frequencies
A "perfect" speaker would have a flat line all the way across.
That's a basic explanation as to why you should not place much faith in published specifications, unless they were prepared in a lab and charted from the exact speaker in question.
Hope this is helpful...good luck!
mocycler |
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Subaru1-3-2-4Premium
join:2001-05-31
Greenwich, CT | hehe you are talking about speakers and I'm talking about a car horn.. not sure if you knew. |
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 seaquakePremium,MVM
join:2001-03-23
Millersville, MD | reply to Subaru
This will get people's attention:
»trainhorns.net/ |
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Subaru1-3-2-4Premium
join:2001-05-31
Greenwich, CT | the Airchime K5LA horn is one of the best sounding horns ever.. I was going to buy one as a collection on ebay but wow they are not cheap... |
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mocyclerPremium
join:2001-01-22
Naperville, IL Reviews:
·AT&T U-Verse
| reply to Subaru
said by Subaru:hehe you are talking about speakers and I'm talking about a car horn.. not sure if you knew. Oops, my bad. Well, hope you got a nice speaker tutorial anyway.
FWIW, a lot of the science behind audio speakers also applies to car horns.
mocycler |
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 61999674Gotta Do What Ya Gotta DoPremium
join:2000-09-02
Here
kudos:1 | reply to Subaru
Here is a very elementary description.
»www.glenbrook.k12.il.us/GBSSCI/P···l2b.html
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It is better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it. |
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