Sound Meter dB Blog #
Guides to putting a number on noise: what decibel levels mean, how long each one is safe for, when to reach for earplugs, and how far a phone microphone can be trusted. Every figure here is sourced to NIOSH, OSHA, the WHO, the EPA or NIDCD rather than to folklore, and hearing health is covered as education, not diagnosis. The blog comes from the team behind Sound Meter dB, a free iOS and Android decibel meter that reads your phone’s microphone with A-weighting, shows the NIOSH safe-exposure time for the level you’re in, and works offline without recording audio.
Start here #
- How loud is 85 dB?: the level where hearing-safety guidance starts counting the clock, and what it sounds like.
- Decibel chart of common sounds: levels from a whisper to a jet engine, with safe exposure times.
- How to measure noise level with your phone: the technique that keeps a phone reading honest.
- How accurate are sound meter apps?: what NIOSH found when it tested them against lab equipment.
- NIOSH vs OSHA noise limits: 85 dBA with a 3 dB exchange rate against 90 dBA with 5 dB, and which applies to you.
- When do you need hearing protection?: the thresholds, the types, and why the NRR on the box overstates things.
- How loud is too loud for headphones?: the WHO’s weekly listening budget and how fast it runs out.
- How to measure neighbor noise: building a log that’s worth something, and what local ordinances usually require.
- Safe noise levels for sleeping: what a bedroom should measure and what to do about a noisy one.