Damn good question. Ultimately it's the output in general that I think might help target a fairly balanced system but that starts with a watts to DB relationship first. Then of course if ur tuning to seek max dB for a competition, that a completely different animal.

Let me try and simplify the first layer of this onion.

If I'm wanting to run the following speakers in a setup and simply tune it up the way the artist intended it to be played for a bar hopper, what watts are going to be needed so that I'm not having to pull shix down cause other shix can't keep up.

Beyma 6P200ND in fairing. 92 SPL
Beyma 8CX300 in Voodoo TP. 96 SPL
GZ 10" MB inside bags. 88 SPL
Beyma CD w 8CX. 104 SPL
DD VO B3 in fairing.

At some point a basic math problem has to be done to get the available watts in place for each speaker to show up and play in the desired sandbox with for the intended role.

If ur targeting 130ish dB via watts and SQL tune for the featherweight class then ur gonna need some serious damn watts. If ur just gonna Cruise the backroads u might only seek 123 dB.

As mentioned, this can be a tar baby for sure but tons of folks show up here daily saying I want loud and clear. Well what the hell is loud and clear for the various scenarios that are presented.

If I went to you for some consulting I'm pretty damn sure u would have a very good idea what DB was going to be required for me to set foot in a lightweight competition ring and at least be credible. 120 dB ain't it. 130 to 135 prob is.

Very damn dynamic indeed but with a broad brush stroke u can use DBs to help u obtain ur individual goals.

4 8CX300 pointed at the back of my head 1.5 feet away will generally produce 132 dB at 250 watts. If I choose to play in that sandbox, I better purchase the right shix for the rest of the available locations that not only supplements the target freq range wise but also DB wise. 90 watts to some Mmats CX prob ain't gonna cut it as that's about 108 dB on paper.

Just a broad brush discussion that may or may not have any value at all.

T

 

In my opinion the spl rating of a speaker is only part of the equation. A speaker may be rated at 95spl but only produce a few freqs at that level and may not be where you’re going to tune them. Others may be rated at 95 but have a flat curve producing more freqs at that level and as a result be louder. Only a small part of the puzzle but definitely worth the research.

 

Recently I did some back to back amp testing. The amps tested ranged from 200-600w per speaker rated specs. While there was a difference in volume, it wasn’t as much as you would think. What was noticeable was the difference in sound quality. Some worked better for low freqs while others had a smoother midrange and vocals. The phrase “not all watts are equal” is apparent when you hear them side by side on the same speakers. Some amps work better than others depending on desired purpose and speaker it’s tied to.

 

Exactly. But based on all the factors involved, the weakest dB speaker set playing as intended, is the limiting speaker in a setup. Now if that speaker set is a 115 dB output and someone is very cool with that then perfect, but hopefully it was a calculated decision and not a result of poor watt management and/or product selection.

I think there is a JBL app and prob 100 others that at least tell u initially what general dB sandbox u might be able to play regarding the watt to SPL relationship. Hopefully the SQL tune and various other parameters doesn't hammer the output more than a few DBs from that starting point. But it certainly can.

T