Guides to Decibels, Noise and Hearing
Short, practical answers written around the questions people ask a decibel meter: how loud is too loud, how to measure it, and what the numbers mean.
What is a decibel?
The dB scale in plain English: why it is logarithmic and what 0 dB, 60 dB and 120 dB mean.
Safe decibel levels
The 85 dB rule, the exposure table and what it means for headphones, concerts and sleep.
Phone as a dB meter
How accurate a phone microphone is, how to hold and calibrate it, and its limits.
Measuring neighbour noise
Where to measure, what to log and typical legal limits before you complain.
dBA vs dBC
A, C and Z weighting: what they filter, when to use each and why the numbers differ.
Are cheap decibel meters accurate?
Budget meters vs Class 2 vs Class 1: what you get for the money and when it matters.
Choosing a decibel meter app
The five features that separate a real sound meter app from a gauge with a needle.
Looking for a specific level? Every value from 30 to 140 dB has its own page under How loud is…, and the decibel chart lists them all in one table.