Investigation

摘要

How loud is your audio system when you play music? Keith Howard recently carried out an extensive investigation into the amplifier power you need to deliver transient peaks comparable with real-world examples like a full orchestra [HFN July-Sept and Nov '07]. The results he obtained indicate that you might well need an amplifier able to deliver peak powers of many hundreds of watts, and a speaker able to handle these high levels. I found his results fascinating. However, I do also have a nagging doubt about what these conclusions implied. Put simply, I find that even when I play orchestral music 'loud' I don't use such high peak powers. So I started to wonder: are such very high powers needed for a domestic audio system, and what other factors might affect the loudness of what we hear?