Can someone explain....

Discussion in 'Community Discussion' started by yg17, Sep 6, 2006.

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  1. yg17, Sep 6, 2006

    yg17 macrumors G5

    yg17

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    #1
    This has always puzzled me.....why is it on some stereo receivers, turning the volume up lowers the dB level displayed? Like, very quiet on my receiver is 70 dB where pretty loud is 30 dB. Shouldn't it be the other way around?

    Just a random question.....
     
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  2. WildCowboy, Sep 6, 2006

    WildCowboy Administrator/Editor

    WildCowboy

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    #2
    If you look closely, you'll see that they're negative numbers. They're just in relation to some reference level, which is like a direct connection to the amp. Attenuating the signal makes it quieter and sends the "volume" into "negative" territory.
     
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  3. Zwhaler, Sep 6, 2006

    Zwhaler macrumors 603

    Zwhaler

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    #3
    I know doesn't that bother you? I seriously can't see the reasoning behind it. And whats with the whole -80db is silent, but 0db is loud as hell? I can't stand that. Someone please answer :)

    Edit: cowboy answered my ? but i typed this b4 he posted :D
     
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  4. kretzy, Sep 6, 2006

    kretzy macrumors 604

    kretzy

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    #4
    Yeah, I've always wondered the same thing myself. Thanks for the explanation WildCowboy. :)

    MR is so educational. :D
     
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  5. yg17, Sep 6, 2006

    yg17 thread starter macrumors G5

    yg17

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    #5

    Oh, lol, never noticed the negative sign. Still doesn't make much sense to me, but now I know that it's actually -30 dB which is louder than -70 :D
     
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  6. spicyapple, Sep 6, 2006

    spicyapple macrumors 68000

    spicyapple

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    #6
    Sometimes I wonder why the volume knobs aren't labeled from 0-11 with 11 being the loudest. :)

    These minus dB numbers do make the receivers look sophisticated, because I can't figure it out too.
     
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  7. balamw, Sep 6, 2006

    balamw Moderator

    balamw

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    #7
    It can get really confusing when you talk about attenuation in dB, since that is typically quoted as a positive number in dB, since you are expected to be subtracting that from your reference level. The greater the number then smaller the signal that gets through. However, the same number can be quoted as gain and would then be negative.

    B
     
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