Loudness Sones -

Decibels tell you the physics .

| Decibels (dB) | Perceived Loudness (Sones) | Real-World Example | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | 40 dB | 1 Sone | Quiet office, bird calls | | 50 dB | 2 Sones | Light rain, moderate refrigerator | | 60 dB | 4 Sones | Normal conversation, dishwasher | | 70 dB | 8 Sones | Vacuum cleaner, busy traffic | | 80 dB | 16 Sones | Garbage disposal, alarm clock (2 feet away) | | 100 dB | 64 Sones | Pneumatic drill, loud concert | loudness sones

You are most likely to encounter sone ratings when shopping for ventilation fans, range hoods, or air purifiers. Because these devices stay on for long periods, manufacturers use sones to help consumers understand the noise impact on their environment. Decibels tell you the physics

When you see a bathroom fan rated at , you can expect a peaceful experience. If you see one rated at 4.0 sones , it will be four times louder. When you see a bathroom fan rated at

S=2(P−40)/10cap S equals 2 raised to the open paren cap P minus 40 close paren / 10 power (Where S is sones and P is phons) Common Sone Ratings in Daily Life

To bridge the gap between physics and human hearing, acoustics experts use a unit called the . What is a Sone?

Stevens defined the sone as the loudness of a 1000 Hz tone that is perceived as equally loud as a 40 dB SPL (sound pressure level) tone. This definition allowed him to create a scale that could be used to measure the loudness of different sounds.