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Sound Unit Converter

Sound Fundamentals: Convert between decibels (dB), sound pressure (Pascal), loudness (Phon/Sone), and acoustic power units.
Decibel (dB)
dB

Logarithmic unit for sound pressure level. Reference: 20 μPa (threshold of hearing).

Pascal
Pa

SI unit for sound pressure. Linear scale for acoustic pressure measurements.

Phon
phon

Unit of loudness level. Equal-loudness contours at 1 kHz frequency.

Sone
sone

Unit of loudness. 1 sone = 40 phon. Doubling sones doubles perceived loudness.

Sound Levels & Examples

Hearing Protection: Exposure to sounds above 85 dB can cause hearing damage. Use protection above 90 dB.
Threshold of Hearing
0 dB

Quietest sound audible to human ear (20 μPa, 1000 Hz).

Whisper
20 dB

Quiet whisper at 1 meter distance. Library environment.

Normal Conversation
60 dB

Typical conversation at 1 meter. Office environment.

City Traffic
80 dB

Busy street traffic. Prolonged exposure may be harmful.

Lawn Mower
90 dB

Power tools, machinery. Hearing protection recommended.

Rock Concert
110 dB

Live music, nightclub. Hearing damage with short exposure.

Jet Engine
130 dB

Aircraft takeoff at 100m. Pain threshold, immediate damage.

Gunshot
140 dB

Firearm discharge. Instant hearing damage without protection.

Acoustic Properties

Acoustic Science: Understanding frequency response, sound pressure levels, and psychoacoustics.
Equal-Loudness Curves
phon

Fletcher-Munson curves showing frequency-dependent hearing sensitivity.

A-Weighting
dB(A)

Frequency weighting approximating human hearing sensitivity.

Sound Power Level
LW

Total acoustic power emitted by a source (dB re 1 pW).

Sound Intensity
W/m²

Acoustic power per unit area. Vector quantity with direction.

Reverberation Time
RT60

Time for sound to decay 60 dB in enclosed space.

Speech Intelligibility
STI

Speech Transmission Index (0-1 scale) for communication quality.

Audio Engineering Applications

Studio Monitoring
85 dB

Reference level for mixing and mastering in professional studios.

Cinema Reference
85 dB

THX cinema standard for dialogue reproduction level.

Live Sound FOH
100-110 dB

Front-of-house mixing levels for live concerts and events.

Broadcast Audio
-23 LUFS

EBU R128 loudness standard for television broadcasting.

Streaming Audio
-14 LUFS

Spotify, Apple Music loudness normalization target.

Noise Floor
-60 dB

Typical professional audio equipment noise floor specification.

Acoustic Calculators

SPL to Pressure

Distance vs SPL

Multiple Sources

Phon to Sone