How loud is 43Db when compared with 52Db. Sorry to ask what seems to me as a slightly daft question but our kitchen is open plan and noisy appliances are not welcome.
I obviously do not own a decibel meter (I am sure they are not called that). So could anyone offer a comparison.
Thanks
AndyP
43dB is quite a reduction from 52dB and well worth having. It is the difference between the figures that is important, not their ratios.
Christian.
Christian, thanks. It is a 20% reduction which I agree would be very noticeable. My quandary is whether or not 52db would be invasive in an open plan kitchen/dining area, but this could be subjective anyway.
Appliance in question is a dishwasher (we do not have one currently). The comparison is between an AEG (43db) and a Bosch (52db). I have no data on our existing Hotpoint washing machine to see what noise rating that has.
AndyP
A quick Google search would have removed the need for the question (!) and found:
Decibel ratings and common sounds
Decibel
Level Example
0 Lowest sound audible to human ear 10 Quiet library, soft whisper 30 Quiet office, living room, bedroom away from traffic 40 Light traffic at a distance, refrigerator, gentle breeze 50 Air conditioner at 20 feet, conversation, sewing machine 60 Busy traffic, office tabulator, noisy restaurant 80 Subway, heavy city traffic, alarm clock at 2 feet, factory noise 100 Truck traffic, noisy home appliances, shop tools, lawnmower 110 Chain saw, boiler shop, pneumatic drill 120 Rock concert in front of speakers, sandblasting, thunderclap 140 Gunshot blast, jet plane 180 Rocket launching pad
Bob, thanks for that. I have been googling all afternoon comparing prices and spec of kitchen appliances search as you have never crossed my mind. Thanks.
AndyP
It's almost 10 times quieter. However, the figures, and the behaviour of the ear are logarithmic (approximately).
The difference between the figures is important, as is the method of measurement and the distance. Unless these are the same, you can't compare the figures.
Assuming that the conditions are the same, then if noise is a concern, this is a difference worth having.
.andy
To email, substitute .nospam with .gl
If you give the average person a volume control and get them to set it to half the level, and then measure it, it will be about 10 dB, so the difference between 43 and 52 is, in practice, a great deal.
It isn't a 20% reduction. The different between 52 and 43 is the same as the difference between 10 and 1. It is even the same as reducing 5 to -4. It is reducing the power of the noise by a factor of 8. Ears have an amazing dynamic range, so it won't actually be perceived as an 8 times reduction. I would guess it will sound about half as loud.
Christian.
Missing from the table shown previously in thread is a garden vacuum cleaner (for sucking up leaves etc). It is about 250db (oh yes it is - especially at
8:30 in the morning and I work nights sometimes). Nice neighbours eh! :-)9dB difference. 3dB is a doubling, which is also roughly the smallest level that you'll notice. So this is about "3 subjective notches" louder. 43 dB is a "typical room" sort of level. 52dB is "outdoors on a city street".
(Yes, and I _know_ that dB aren't an absolute measure)
-- Die Gotterspammerung - Junkmail of the Gods
We have a 46dB Dishwasher (Bosch) and its very quiet - much quieter than the one it replaced - this was also a Bosch but 20 years older (never went wrong) and we gave to a friend 30 months ago, who still runs it twice a day in a B and B !! (its well shagged though now !)
46dB is quiet enough to have a normal conversation 4 feet away in a quiet room and only notice its on when someone points out it is on - not even obtrusive - it was selected for its quietness as its in the kitchen / diner where the family seem to spend most of their time !!Hope that helps...
Nick
The following web page provides dB(A) ratings for a personal computer, though I'm not sure (okay, okay, I don't know) what the "A" represents:
I can vouch for these figures having fitting a couple of ultraquiet fans to my PCs.
PoP
Oh. Its 9 dB quieter. Thats quite a bit quieter.
:-)
Not in any known engineering quintity it ain't. Its actually about ten times less noisy.
One decibel is DEFINED as teh smallest difference in sound you can hear volume wise. Or was, Then they took the results of teh tests and expressed it in energy per squarte foot or something.
Nah, thats more lke 85dB
43dB is quite. 52dB is quiet converstaion when you don't want to be overheard.db sometimes ...dBA at others ....the dBA is used more often as the human ear is not as receptive at some frequencies as at others. The dBA values take this into account. There are also other db variations.
Pressure ...power ..intensity....
50 dBA is low and 40ish extremely low!
I think dB(A) has the scale adjusted so it more closely matches typical human hearing.
We got the model below that one - 51db - and most of the time you don't really know it's on, and the kitchen is the quietest room in the house in relation to traffic and other noise. We get more noise in the front room from someone passing in the street :)
That's *passing* for any of you that might think summat else :oD
cheers
witchy/binarydinosaurs
If the dishwasher is anything like their washing machines then go for a different make. We have a Bosch and it's VERY noisy. Even Which magazine points that out even though they recommend it.
No it isn't. And you can hear much less than this, if you're trying to listen for "which tone is louder" experiments.
I'm not even going to start posting the definition of the Bel. UFGFFS.
"city street with no heavy traffic" I live out in the sticks.
-- Die Gotterspammerung - Junkmail of the Gods
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