Is there a usable portable SPL meter on amazon that I can buy that's decently priced? I'm looking at this one.
Hey OP - nobody in either of your threads is suggesting the right answer, which is to contact the city of OP to determine what the law is, whether it's being violated, and how you pursue a complaint if it is.
You might start by examining the OP city code.
I think parts E and F on that page may apply to your situation, but it may eventually come down to the exact level of noise (in decibels) - so you may want to measure the noise level at your window first with a cheap decibel meter from Amazon, so you can have an idea compared to the code levels in Part A.
I bought a regular decibel meter for 20 bucks on Amazon. Then I cut a hole into some cardboard, put the neck of the meter through it, and measured some music I listen to frequently at a particular volume setting. My understanding was that the cardboard was to simulate the isolation that a head creates. I imagine you could probably do it with your hand, too.
Anyway, I average between 60 and 68 dB, so I felt pretty good about it and consider it 20 bucks well spent.
If you want an inexpensive SPL meter, get an app for your phone.
Otherwise this one is the first one that appears on Amazon.
Measuring decibels or loudness (DB vs LUFS) would likely not be super useful over an 8 hour period, or at night. That’s quite an excessive amount, and leaves too much time for variability. I’m an audio engineer and do a lot of loudness metering with my work. You could use a simple decibel meter, or even your phone! I’ll explain both examples below.
A decibel meter will measure decibels in real time. You can use this to see approximately how loud the sound in your home is, but usually doesn’t give you an overall average. You could use it standing in front of your window for 10 seconds, see about where the numbers fall, and make a note of where the numbers sit around. Once for the old, and once for the new in the same position. I’d recommend capturing either scenario at a peak volume time, (high traffic) instead of at night, since that will illustrate more of a difference in outside noise compared to inside ambience.
Alternatively you could use your phone, and a free computer software, to get a more accurate measurement of average perceived loudness. I’d say take a 30 second audio recording a foot away from your window with your phone during a peak loudness time with the old windows, do that again at the same time of day in the same spot with the new windows, and then run both audio files through an audio analysis software and note the difference. Orban is a free loudness meter that will process loudness levels of your audio levels and give you the data you’re wanting. Compare and contrast, and boom you’re done.
If there's not enough vibration for the other suggestion, you could use an ESP with a sound threshold board like these https://www.amazon.com/Anmbest-Microphone-Sensitivity-Differential-Comparators/dp/B07CQZ93N4/
I imagine mounting the sensor right outside the buzzer and adjusting the limit could work without too many false positives.
All you really need is cheap SPL Meter
You need a decibel meter to measure exactly how loud it is at your closest point of your property. https://www.amazon.com/Decibel-Professional-Monitoring-Instrument-Classroom/dp/B07ZHG76D8/ref=asc_df_B07ZHG76D8/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=416713455770&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2180829705780429113&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9023792&hvtargid=pla-871036694768&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=93604213333&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=416713455770&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2180829705780429113&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9023792&hvtargid=pla-871036694768 Now look into your area's noise ordinances. Show the local police exactly how loud it is and that they are breaking a local civil law. Keep calling and complaining. Go to your city hall meetings and complain about the lack of enforcement if nothing is done. You may have to become a nuisance to get rid of the nuisance.
Okay thanks! I have this little guy (kinda cheap) https://www.amazon.com/BAFX-Products-Pressure-30-130dBA-Warranty/dp/B00ECCZWWI/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1M5QBPMM1OII2&keywords=decibel+reader&qid=1668799065&sprefix=decibal+readre%2Caps%2C78&sr=8-3
But I didnt need anything super fancy.
A sound level meter won’t break the bank if you want to be sure. https://www.amazon.com/BAFX-Products-Pressure-30-130dBA-Warranty/dp/B00ECCZWWI/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=1IH8ZI4B94HJZ&keywords=sound+level+meter&qid=1665788751&qu=eyJxc2MiOiI0LjU1IiwicXNhIjoiNC4wMiIsInFzcCI6IjMuNjQifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=soun...
It's not that expensive. You can record the noise with your phone and record the decibel reading on video at the same time.
My Limited registers 65db at 75mph on the interstate, with A/C, radio, and ventilated seats off. Registered using smart phone app.
Because people are so concerned about the differences, I just ordered this decibel meter and will test with it so we can ensure there's no variation on phones, etc - $20, if anybody else with a '23 wants to get one and we can all compare.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01EZZ8B5Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Telling them something is too loud does not give them a reference point to tie back to. It's not too loud to them, so they have no idea what you're talking about.
Try something like a decibel meter and tell them that their voice needs to stay under a certain level accommodating both of them as much as possible. If you can find a decibel meter app on your phone it probably has a graphical version of this although it won't be nearly as accurate and consistency will take a hit.
Since a UMIK-1 or UMIK-2 requires plugging into a computer to get readings, and Radio Shack is gone, I ended up ordering a VLIKE SPL meter a while back. Seemed to be a good option for accuracy and functionality at a reasonable price, compared to other choices.
Fredericksburg, VA Noise Ordinance + $20.00 Db Meter could get you somewhere.
You should buy a sound meter to see if there is a noise and how much there is. The meters are fairly inexpensive and you would know. Here is one a friend had me buy and bring him:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01EZZ8B5Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Just an idea and I am not selling anything.
Here's the thing. Pick up a decibel meter like this. Then, put it in a listening position where you head would be near some speakers. For example, rest it on top of an office chair in front of a computer with speakers. Play some music, and get it to about 70-75 dBA.
Remove the meter, and sit in that chair. Listen to the music, then put your earbuds in and try to approximately match the volume. What you'll likely find is that the volume is pretty low, and what you're used to with earbuds is much, much louder.
You can do the reverse: play audio through your earbuds at about the volume you typically listen to, then play the same thing on your speakers. Turn it up until it is about the volume of your earbuds. Then, stand up, put the meter on the chair, and measure it.
If you don't want to go through all this trouble, roughly speaking, you don't want to have your music any louder than a lawn mower. Higher volumes take less time to start to damage hearing. At higher volumes, exposure for any period of time can cause permanent hearing loss.
So yeah, absolutely do not make any assumptions in sound. Hearing loss is cumulative, and in today's age, still permanent. It also can cause significant psychological issues like depression and anxiety. You don't want to destroy your ears on purpose at any point in your life. Protect your hearing starting today.
Nope. Just buy a sound meter. They're like $20 on Amazon. Your ears will thank you in a few decades.
There are various "rule of thumb" tricks, like "Can you hear the music when held at arm's length?" But these are very vague and subjective. Buy a meter.
It's not the most scientific but it's better than nothing, I take the decibel meter from the link below and cover one headphone with my hand with the mic in the cup to seal it best as possible. I then try to keep it from peaking no louder than 71 decibels. I also keep it on all day with my monitors and try to keep it from not peaking over 82-84 decibels, which I found is the best volume in my space.
I would get a SPL meter so you can video that with your phone. that way you'll have an actual measurement of the volume to show the landlord or the judge. Never used this one myself, so not a recomendation, just an example. https://smile.amazon.com/BAFX-Products-Pressure-30-130dBA-Warranty/dp/B00ECCZWWI
Any decibel meter will measure 30db or so, because the cheap ones are calibrated to 30db in a quiet room. Decibels being logarithmic, cheap meters get very inaccurate very quickly. For instance, most of the cheap ones I've used max out at measuring 70-75db. And that's probably what's happening here, the magnet in the headphone driver is interfering with the microphone in your meter and it's getting stuck at reporting the maximum value it's capable of reporting. This is all especially bad, because when working properly, you could be pushing well, well into hearing loss territory, 90-100db and beyond, and they'll just keep reading 70-something db and make it look safe. OSHA-certified ones are calibrated at around 100db, and should be calibrated before each use, using something like this: https://smile.amazon.com/Instruments-R8090-Calibrator-Diameter-Microphones/dp/B008S0OVR2
So you can try solving your problem, but even if your meter was working 100% as engineered and you depended on it for accurate readings of headphone pressure, you're going to end up damaging your hearing, because it will most likely grossly undermeasure what are very dangerous sound pressures.
I assume your ultimate goal is to protect your hearing, and fortunately it's easier than taking measurements with questionable equipment. Listen to your headphones at your preferred fun volume for 10 minutes, and then sit in silence for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes of silence, continue listening to music at the previous volume you were using. If it's uncomfortably loud after sitting in silence, it's dangerously loud. Repeat this process until you find your maximum volume that isn't uncomfortable after sitting in silence and so long as you don't push past that, or at least not very much for very long, then your hearing will last a lifetime.
I have been running my Z1R from a WM1A Walkman for a year. It sounds freaking amazing. I was extremely dubious of amplifiers. All of the jargon baloney about "transients" and "stopping power" that people spew makes no sense to me.
When I got an Aeon Closed X as a work headphone, I believed everyone when they said "IT NEEDS SO MUCH POWERRRR" and I bought a Schiit Fulla E to "drive" it. But the amp arrived before the Aeon, so I tested it with the Z1R.
OH MY GOD, I thought, this sounds so much FULLER and DEEPER and more REAL. Have I been missing out on audio nirvana for a year? Was I wrong?
I pulled out my dB meter and measured the headphones out of the amp vs out of the WM1A on the same song. Turns out that I could only get it within 5dB by ear. The amp was set 5dB louder. When I normalized them using the meter, the sound was identical from each source.
The same turned out to be true with the Aeon Closed X which was SOOOO POWER HUNGRY. It didn't need an amp at all to reach my desired volume, and there was no difference between the sound quality between a more powerful source a less powerful source when normalized using a dB meter.
TLDR: Louder = Better, and people suck at volume matching without equipment.
Obviously, I cannot speak to more POWER HUNGRY headphones that I have not owned. But my dubiousness remains intact.
I bought a cheapy.
BAFX Products - Decibel Meter/Sound Pressure Level Reader (SPL) / 30-130dBA Range - 1 Year Warranty (Standard) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ECCZWWI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_Y07K66HAAJVQ18XRXFXW?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Very important advice! I'm sorry to hear about your diagnosis.
I purchased this decibel meter in order to ensure that I was hitting 75db MAX when headphone listening (65-70 average). It's more than loud enough to hear all the detail and have plenty of "fun," but it's easy to let things get to 80+ if you're not careful. And it's worth re-measuring if you get new cans, do a pad switch, etc.
Take part of a a cereal box or whatever, cut a small hole in it, and stick the un-padded microphone through it. Then put the cardboard up against the headphone pad and measure a typical song at your normal volume.
It's kind of fun, actually. You can walk around your neighborhood to see what things register at. A busy road with medium traffic was 70db. I wouldn't want to sit next to that for more than a few minutes, so I definitely shouldn't be listening past that.
Do you have a camera tripod, or can you get one? If so, buy this and set in on the sidewalk OUT OF YOUR NEIGHBOR'S view the next time he starts playing. Take a picture of the placement with your phone (for the timestamp), and shoot video of the meter's readings.
Next, check whether your local noise laws cite a decibel limit. Compare that to the readings on your SPL meter. If measured levels are higher than what the law allows, bam! You have evidence for a noise complaint to the police (especially if you can establish a repeated pattern of behavior). You should also log your interactions with the neighbor, e.g.:
Keep this up. These are your damages, and you'll need some kind of accounting if/when you sue the guy or your landlords for loss of quiet enjoyment of your rental property. Note that this is nuclear stuff; you may not want to pursue things to this level.
Next, talk with your other neighbors. If enough people have a problem with dude's volume control issue, and enough of those people also call the cops, you'll get better results.
At the end of the day, apartment living sucks. This is especially true in the older converted apartments (I lived in one for 11 years). At the same time, though, your neighbor is being an asshole. From what you've described, he's ACTIVELY being an asshole. Tube amps and apartments generally do not mix well.
Get yourself a physical db meter:
TestHelper SW-525A Sound Level Meter Tester 30-130db Large Screen Red LCD Display Wall Hanging Type Decibel Noise Measuring with Alarm (Sound Level Meter) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0775YNF6F/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_N8VA9TDRNSWNGCDFMPYX?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
And antioxidant supplements, as they help prevent more hearing damage.
I’m still doing music production, not only with tinnitus but also with hyperacusis. Don’t let this curse stop you from doing what you love cause giving up on music will make you worse emotionally therefore make the symptoms worse physically
So depending where you live there are noise ordinances and very specific laws about it. From certain times you have to be less than so many dB. If they cite you it’s like any other ticket you can fight it in court. But without proof it’s your word against the officers. However Amazon to the rescue, ~$20 get yourself this decibel meter and show the cops if they come the current reading
You could get a cheap decibel meter (for example, https://www.amazon.com/BAFX-Products-Pressure-30-130dBA-Warranty/dp/B00ECCZWWI/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2M11KK75ZZF9Z&dchild=1&keywords=decibel+meter&qid=1623039479&sprefix=Deci%2Caps%2C278&sr=8-3) ... maybe record the meter standing just outside the closed garage door, then walk slowly away (timed to the grunts?) still recording?
Not ideal, but if he thinks you’re exaggerating the sounds, video of the sounds plus the meter capturing the sounds would at least show that you’re not.
I had cRaZy LOUD neighbors recently. Apartment management didn’t seem to believe us (or every other resident in our very long hallway), so my husband bought a meter similar to the one I linked. We turned the thing on when they’d start up, note the date/times and meter readings. Took 3 months of absolute insanity, but they were forced to move (within the building, but one more complaint about them from their new neighbors and they’ll be evicted). Probably over sharing, but the meter helped me, so I read this and thought I might help you too
Both churches were what I would consider to be below a mega church but still a very big church. One was in an auditorium that could definitely fit 2,000 people. The other one was a little smaller but probably close. They both had professional sound equipment. I don't know enough about sound equipment to say anymore than that.
Do you think this would be sufficient:
I am honestly curious enough about this topic to spend $22. Not sure I'd spring for the $75 though.
I recently purchased this:
I haven't had a chance to use it yet but found a recommendation for it on some car audio forum somewhere, don't remember where.