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Sound Level Converter

Sound Level Converter Conversion Chart

From To Formula (for 1 unit) Result

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About This Tool

This Sound Level Converter is designed for acoustics, audio engineering, and physics. It converts between units used to express ratios of power or intensity, most commonly for sound levels. The base unit is the bel (B).

These units are logarithmic, which is ideal for measuring sound because human hearing perceives sound pressure on a logarithmic scale. A small increase in decibels corresponds to a large increase in sound intensity.

Tips & Features

  • Logarithmic Scale: Unlike linear units, a change of 1 bel or 10 decibels represents a tenfold increase in power. This is why sound levels can span a huge range of values without using unwieldy numbers.
  • The Decibel (dB): The decibel, which is one-tenth of a bel, is the most commonly used unit for sound intensity, from audio mixing to environmental noise regulations.
  • Neper (Np): The neper is a less common logarithmic unit based on the natural logarithm (base e), while the bel and decibel are based on the common logarithm (base 10). It is often used in telecommunications and transmission line theory.