Dynamic range question, Dynamic range of hearing vs. equipment Options

[thesurfingalien]

Hi All,

I am having problems understanding the concept of dynamic range, and more specific how the dynamic range of human hearing relates to the dynamic range as specified for audio equipment.

What I have read on the Net is that the dynamic range of human hearing is, on average, 135 dB (the pain limit / threshold?).

I also understand that the dynamic range of a CD (16 bit) is limited to 96 dB, and for HD (24 bit) recordings 144 dB. This dynamic range is calculated by the bit-depth.

For playback of music (I use 44.1/16 flac only) I use a E-MU 1820 that has a dynamic range of about 115 dB (or so). I am not sure what my amp can do...

However, when I play music I hardly pass 80 dB (or so) listening volume, so the 96 dB CD data (if the recording makes full use of the range that is) gets "compressed", while the relative dynamic range remains.

After the long intro my question in essence is:

Does the human hearing have a similar "resolution" that is comparable to the resolution defined by the bit-depth in (digital) audio? Or am I just comparing apples and pears?

Regards,
Peter

[pdq]

Very nice first post. Thanks.

[Arnold B. Kruege...]

Very nice first post. Thanks.

First serious omission - a real world discussion of noise levels in the place where the recording is made. For example my live recording kit actually has close to 100 dB dynamic range under ideal conditions. I don't think I've ever made a live recording with better than about 67 dB dyanmc range. The balance of the noise is usually due to HVAC and humans being in the room.

Second serious omission - discusison of what kind of dynamic range we can actually perceive.

As JJ has said from time to time, the ear has about 30 dB instantaneous dynamic range that slides up and down. The sliding is is subject to a number of timing and memory conditions.

I think most people have been around some loud sound that caused a temporary threshold shift that was readily perceptible. IOW, they went to a loud concert or were in a noisy industrial environment and noticed that they were having a hard time hearing soft sounds for hours or even days later. That reperesnts a memory effect that vastly reduces the effective dynamic range of the human ear.