Noise annoys

[Emlin]

Interesting BBC Radio 4 programme on the affects of noise in the environment, plus other bits.

Inside Health - Can noise harm our health? - BBC Sounds

We head into the lab to find out how unwanted sound can affect the body and brain.

www.bbc.co.uk

Apologies to those whose location may make listening to it difficult.

 

[Doodski]

Interesting BBC Radio 4 programme on the affects of noise in the environment, plus other bits.

Inside Health - Can noise harm our health? - BBC Sounds

We head into the lab to find out how unwanted sound can affect the body and brain.

www.bbc.co.uk

Apologies to those whose location may make listening to it difficult.

I worked in an environment with one of the loudest constant SPL levels imaginable. A industrial wide open building where we manufactured oil and gas heavy machinery. We built the heavy equipment right on the floor from the bare flanges up to the completion. I was one of the wiring assemblers of several of us. When the high voltage and current carbon arc cutting'/gouging rod tools where cutting away at stuff and the 70 welders were going full tilt with grinders and stuff it was incredible the SPLs. We used deci-damps and earmuffs simultaneously all day long.

 

[eyedrop]

Unfortunately, I live in a house with windows, and a neighborhood with other people and animals nearby. Dogs, birds, etc.. And often times, my HVAC is running which causes the vent noise. I'm also getting persistent traffic noise from the interstate that runs through my city. A constant 32Hz and 150hz rumble...

I double up by wearing passive 3M Peltor X5 earmuffs (for taming "sudden" loud noises) and wear active ANC wireless earbuds underneath the earmuffs (for constant droning noises.). This is for 99% of my music listening. This combo has higher fidelity vs. my treated room with Genelec, simply due to the lower noise floor. Its very hard to find a quiet space in today's world.

One of the best things about early Christmas morning is that I can bundle up and turn off the HVAC, throw on some favorite tunes and fully enjoy my speakers since nobody is on the road! Yes, my finicky expensive setup CAN sound fantastic WHEN the stars align. Kind of reminds me of shooting with a DSLR in manual mode.

Been considering selling the speakers given the fact that truly high fidelity sound can now be achieved portably and wireless for under a few hundred bucks. Kind of like how cell phones have taken over the camera industry, I feel the high fidelity audio industry is just getting commoditized via consumer audio from brands such as Harman. Consumer audio is leading the way with reducing the noise harm, and "it" seems to be the only one who knows how important noise reduction is to audio fidelity.

Its really striking to me that noise floor is such an afterthought in the audio "enthusiast" community. For example, I remember watching a Steve Guttenberg review on youtube, kept getting distracted by all the NYC traffic in the backround, and thinking to myself, why should I trust this person reviewing $100k speakers in a noisy apartment with the size and acoustics of a bathroom?

I know speakers are still the ultimate end-all, at the top level. But I guess I'll just have to keep saving for my dream setup, which means purchasing a quiet property and building a dedicated listening room as a separate structure.

Yes, you could say noise pollution has affected me

 

[napfkuchen]

Its really striking to me that noise floor is such an afterthought in the audio "enthusiast" community. For example, I remember watching a Steve Guttenberg review on youtube, kept getting distracted by all the NYC traffic in the backround, and thinking to myself, why should I trust this person reviewing $100k speakers in a noisy apartment with the size and acoustics of a bathroom?

Some people have the ability to tune out their surroundings incredibly well (I'm jealous!!!). If I work with concentration, I can do it to some extent. However, repetitive noise in particular just doesn't let me calm down. I lived right on the main street of a city for 6 years, and it was never quiet even at night. On the contrary, the slope to the nearby industrial area was often used for acceleration tests... Since then, I have developed a hatred for tuned cars/motorcycles.

I double up by wearing passive 3M Peltor X5 earmuffs (for taming "sudden" loud noises) and wear active ANC wireless earbuds underneath the earmuffs (for constant droning noises.). This is for 99% of my music listening. This combo has higher fidelity vs. my treated room with Genelec, simply due to the lower noise floor. Its very hard to find a quiet space in today's world.

I can 100% empathize with this situation. Due to traffic noise my Genelec setup was hardly ever used and I listened to music on the inexpensive Klipsch speakers in the living room (facing away from the street) without room correction most of the time. I always used NC headphones when working from home.

Then I moved, funny enough the apartment was 15m next to the first platform of the train station. However, only the hallway and the bathroom were facing the train station. It was a new building and you simply didn't hear anything from the trains or neighbors. So modern construction can contribute to noise protection.

Now I live on a one-way street with no through traffic, with gardens all around. When looking for an apartment, a quiet location was my absolute priority.

But I guess I'll just have to keep saving for my dream setup, which means purchasing a quiet property and building a dedicated listening room as a separate structure.

I keep my fingers crossed. In my area, house prices have become particularly disconnected from incomes. A new house with a small garden is no longer available for six-figure amounts. Buying older residential property makes little sense because the requirements for energy-efficient renovation are absurd.

 

[Fredygump]

Last year I had the opportunity to work in close proximity to a paving crew for several hours. They were milling an asphalt parking lot and re-paving all around where I was working, and it was very fatiguing and aggravating! I was annoyed about everything, and for no apparent reason. I wasn't constantly aware of the noise, but yeah, it was brutal! Even when the mill wasn't running, I was surrounded by 10+ idling diesel engines at all times. It would have been better if I had some hearing protection, but the customer didn't think it was important to mention that I'd be stranded on a concrete island while the asphalt work was being completed all around me! You know, details....

And I recently eliminated the source of tweeter hiss from my system. I lived with it, thinking that because the noise was just audible from my listening position, so not a big deal, right? But getting rid of the noise was a massive improvement! It's hard to explain. (The typical noise floor in my house is 35-40dB, so fairly quiet.)