Calculating Voltage for Target SPL

Want to measure your speaker at a specific SPL but not sure what voltage to use? In this video, we’ll show you how to calculate the exact test voltage needed to hit your target SPL using a simple SoundCheck sequence.

Additional Resources for SoundCheck

Detailed explanations of how to use SoundCheck can be found in the SoundCheck manual.

Pre-written test sequence to calculate the voltage level for a target SPL. You can modify it to meet your needs or incorporate the steps into your own test sequence.

Video Transcript: Calculating Voltage for Target SPL

In an earlier video, I demonstrated how you can increment the test voltage level to see the frequency responses at various levels. But what if you want to run a speaker measurement at a specific sound pressure level and need to know what test voltage level to use? 

I’ve written a short SoundCheck sequence to do this – let’s take a look.

First, the  sequence asks the user to enter the desired target level in dB SPL. I’ll put 94dB as an example. It plays through a 1kHz sine tone and calculates the sensitivity, then  implements a post-processing step to obtain the voltage level needed to output 94dB at 1kHz. The sequence then displays the calculated voltage level and the sensitivity level. 

The rest of the sequence verifies this by running a stepped sine sweep using the calculated voltage level and outputting the frequency response. You will notice that at the 1kHz mark, it reflects the target level I input earlier, which is 94dB SPL. 

This demo sequence can be downloaded from our website if you want to try incorporating it into your measurement sequences. Check it out, and if you have questions, please contact the Listen Support team.