Tekton Double Impacts

Is the frequency a factor in the spl?

I would think so, Stfoth, to some degree. That would seem likely based on the fact that (as you can see in the figure at the upper right of the Wikipedia page on "Equal Loudness Contour") our hearing mechanisms are most sensitive in the area of 3 to 4 kHz or so, while being considerably less sensitive at deep bass frequencies.

So it wouldn’t surprise me if an organization such as OSHA has developed standards for maximum SPL exposure which take frequency into account, but if so I have no specific knowledge of them.

Best regards,
-- Al

@stfoth - Remember DB drag racing? Weren’t some of the SPL kings hitting in the 150’s? In a former life I was an installer, and remember half ohm stable competition amps that put out thousands of watts into that load. They were "rated" at 25 watts x 2 into 4 ohms- so they would qualify in a lower power class. Oh, and FWIW I was an installer for the SQ (sound quality) portion, not the SPL. They were two distinct categories. Ahh the 90’s!

Yes!  150s, 160s, and beyond.  Just nutty.  The "high-end" ones wouldn't allow people in the car during the tone tests.  Rows of giant caps and Optima batteries.  Power cables that make the current high-end AC cables feel self-conscious, in size if not tech.  Dozens of pounds of Dynamat.

But, there were some beautiful installs and some fine-sounding systems, too.

The spl levels for hearing loss have to be weighted against bass, or a lot of folks would be deaf.  Fortunately, I still have decent hearing, if a touch of tinnitus almost from birth.

Do you have any pics of your old installs?


I'm still breaking in Impact Monitors.  They play loud enough for most of my listening in a small room, but I haven't yet pushed them to hear when they tap out and compress.  I'm nowhere near steady 110db+ though. 

Yes indeed! All of that stuff was great! I wish I still had some pictures, unfortunately those are long gone.

nitrobob,
Thanks for the candid review of the DI.
There are some (not many) people that smoke 2 packs of cigs a day and live to be 100.
I listen to mostly orchestral music and find I don't need 100db to enjoy the experience. However, I value imaging way more than dynamic impact.
Clarity and imaging at a comfortable decibel level is what I'm looking for.
I see that most rock musicians (these days) now wear "in ear" plugs.

My problem with the DI is that it's an "a la carte" speaker. Does it even come with a grill? Special edition with better caps? And still can't get over that the 8 ohm version is an extra $500!
The B&W 683 S2  might be a piece of junk to posters in this thread but all the B&W 683 S2 are the same. You know what you are getting. And it's a CLASS B Stereophile component. If that's worth anything.
If the audio industry wasn't so full of snake oil, I might be less skeptical, but alas, here we are.