[Elecraft] 10 dB or 3?

[Jim Brown]

Most human perception is logarithmic. A change in OVERALL LOUDNESS of 
about 10 dB is perceived as twice (or half) as loud.

Changes in SIGNAL TO NOISE RATIO as small as 1 dB can be the difference 
between copy or not. This is true for music as well as speech or CW. 
When mixing live sound with multiple mics on instruments and voices, 
once balance is achieved, very small changes in the gain for any mic are 
usually required to stay in balance.

73, Jim K9YC

On 12/13/2018 9:16 AM, Dauer, Edward wrote:
>
> A very unpleasant dinner last night at a restaurant with a reported 
> noise level of 84 db – about the same as a gas engine lawn mower 
> seated at the next table – raised what is probably an elementary 
> question.  3 db is the familiar doubling of power, and in an audio 
> environment is a doubling of acoustic energy, I understand.  However, 
> I have read that ten db is what results in an apparent doubling of the 
> sound level as we hear it.  Is the difference attributable to 
> something like an AGC circuit in the human auditory system?  And as 
> for RF transmitter power, does it take a ten db increase rather than 3 
> to effect an apparent doubling of audio amplitude in the ears on the 
> other end of the QSO?  Never mind the S meter – I mean the actual 
> ability to hear a signal over the noise, or over the QRM.  Help, anyone?
>
> Ted, KN1CBR
>