It Really Does Go To 11

Way back when I was teaching recording I had a guy in my class who was really into after-market car audio who used to tell me about these contests where the SPL in the car would get as high as 140dB SPL plus. I doubted the guy, because that's louder than the Space Shuttle taking off, and that much level would blow out our ear drums in a flash.

Forward a few years I happened to be at a trade show where they actually had one of these contests, and sure enough, the SPL was loud enough to break the windshield of the car! What I didn't account for is that no one would be crazy to sit inside the car during the contest. Here's a cute little video that shows exactly what happens when the pedal goes to the metal with a souped-up car stereo.



Remember that this is absolutely nothing to do with audio quality; it's pure and simple audio level. One of the trademarks of clean SPL is that it doesn't sound loud, just bigger. Once you've heard a playback in that environment, it sticks with you forever.

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