4 ms·

How does that compare in dB to a road? PS: checked it out myself, from some light googling: Road decibel levels are about 55 dB (averaged over a day) for abou

How does that compare in dB to a road? PS: checked it out myself, from some light googling: Road decibel levels are about 55 dB (averaged over a day) for about 30% of the EU population. Wind turbines are supposedly 43 decibels if they are within a few hundred meters of a house. I guess it probably varies a lot depending on the turbine in question.

themaninthedark 5y ago
Difference is that road noise would be varying and mostly abate at night. Wind turbine noise would be constant with wind speed at all hours.
- pasabagi 5y ago
  On the other hand, roads are dirty, polluting, and occasionally kill your cat.
  - coldtea 5y ago
    On the other other hand, those islands and places didn't have any significant traffic. So, it's not like an additional similar noise to what they've been used to, just less polluting and dangerous for their cat. It's a new noise level they're forced to put up with.
  - mlac 5y ago
    Fans occasionally kill your birds and the neighborhood bald eagle.
coldtea 5y ago
>How does that compare in dB to a road? Even if it compared it wouldn't make it much better, because those islands don't have any sizable traffic on roads - and almost insignificant near those villages. So, its like suddenly they have to put up with road-level noise (if not worse), on their remote village in some remote island - and not even from their own cars. At those distances it's like suddenly all around your village there's a airconditioner-level noise... Mighty annoying to people who have enjoyed mostly nature-level silence for all of their lives...
- smileysteve 5y ago
  > its like suddenly they have to put up with road-level Not at all. Db is not linear, so "suddenly have to put up with" "about 1/4 of the noise." Would be more accurate. An example difference of 12db is a muffled idling compact car versus a consumer lawnmower at 10'.
  - coldtea 5y ago
    >An example difference of 12db is a muffled idling compact car versus a consumer lawnmower at 10'. Yeah, I know what a difference of -Xdb is, as I do audio production work. Another example of 12db difference is a blender vs a vacuum cleaner. But despite it being -12db lower (or even a little more), I wouldn't stand to listen to the latter, still. So it's not just the difference that matters, it's the initial level. The actual noise level they now have to put up with didn't exist in their village, and what did exist didn't have the specific sound / frequency distribution - so it's still annoying - maddening even, if you need to suffer because some others decided to put those things a few hundred meters near you.
musicale 5y ago
Road noise is nothing compared to the horror of aircraft noise in US cities. Average noise level doesn't tell you the frequency spectrum; the low frequency noise from (aircraft, roads, power plants, etc.) is particularly unbearable, and inescapable even inside sound-insulated buildings, while the high frequency noise from (aircraft, turbines, 24/7 emergency vehicles, etc.) hits the 5KHz "crying baby" peak of sensitivity in human hearing.
- pixl97 5y ago
  Are aircraft somehow quieter in EU cities?
  - pasabagi 5y ago
    Seems so? This[0] paper was a bit above my head, but seemed to be premised on the notion that the EU had stricter noise regulations (although that could be counterbalanced by the relative population density of the EU). [0]: https://scholar.smu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1547&context=jalc https://scholar.smu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1547&con...
mdp2021 5y ago
> How does that compare in dB That is statistics as blurred images :) Compare 55dB of, say, so-called "musical impressionism" to 43db of "hardcore techno"...
- pasabagi 5y ago
  Which is which, though? I mainly wanted to do a dB comparison so there's a reference to how this 'torture' compares to other, normal experiences. If they had made this point of fact explicit in the article, then maybe they would have went on to explain how the particular sound profile of the wind turbines was somehow worse (hopefully with evidence!) than it seems at first blush. Since they didn't, it's pretty clear to me that the writer or editor has either woeful research practices, deficient intellect, or a private interest. My money is on the last one: lots of wealthy, well-connected people own holiday homes that lose value when people build turbines near them.
  - mdp2021 5y ago
    > it's pretty clear to me ... deficient intellect What?!?!?!? I clearly stated it: sound amplitude has nothing to do with it - that can be a source of torture, or may not: it is the shape and duration of the sound. If you thought that this 'torture' can be compared to other experiences through a dB value, you are not entitled to write about deficiency. Be informed: certain noise is a nuisance with one wearing white noise inside earmuffs over earpugs. That abates decibels, yet can make the effect even worse. They have not «went on to explain how the particular sound profile of the wind turbines» because it's not needed at all, you do not normally need to convince the public: if you yourself do not believe that those things are a nuisance, go listen to one! And even if someone played "bearable", you know: that's your feeling, go live or just stay near one if you want; others have passed by them, remained in shock, and now avoid them, with some relative difficulty, because there are territories around the world that do not offer that much space left, which increases the fear as "deficient intellects" are all around and many voices has raised lately "let us multiply those turbines", which translates to some as "let us adopt silver bullet solutions which are popular: let us give the public what they want", "careful what you wish for" for "deficient intellects". If a speaker is naive in thinking that the public can receive a message, that is not even 'intellect' at fault - it's 'outellect'. The inside may work very well, it's the outside that does not duly reflect expectations.

themaninthedark 5y ago

Difference is that road noise would be varying and mostly abate at night. Wind turbine noise would be constant with wind speed at all hours.

pasabagi 5y ago
On the other hand, roads are dirty, polluting, and occasionally kill your cat.
- coldtea 5y ago
  On the other other hand, those islands and places didn't have any significant traffic. So, it's not like an additional similar noise to what they've been used to, just less polluting and dangerous for their cat. It's a new noise level they're forced to put up with.
- mlac 5y ago
  Fans occasionally kill your birds and the neighborhood bald eagle.

coldtea 5y ago

>How does that compare in dB to a road? Even if it compared it wouldn't make it much better, because those islands don't have any sizable traffic on roads - and almost insignificant near those villages. So, its like suddenly they have to put up with road-level noise (if not worse), on their remote village in some remote island - and not even from their own cars. At those distances it's like suddenly all around your village there's a airconditioner-level noise... Mighty annoying to people who have enjoyed mostly nature-level silence for all of their lives...

smileysteve 5y ago
> its like suddenly they have to put up with road-level Not at all. Db is not linear, so "suddenly have to put up with" "about 1/4 of the noise." Would be more accurate. An example difference of 12db is a muffled idling compact car versus a consumer lawnmower at 10'.
- coldtea 5y ago
  >An example difference of 12db is a muffled idling compact car versus a consumer lawnmower at 10'. Yeah, I know what a difference of -Xdb is, as I do audio production work. Another example of 12db difference is a blender vs a vacuum cleaner. But despite it being -12db lower (or even a little more), I wouldn't stand to listen to the latter, still. So it's not just the difference that matters, it's the initial level. The actual noise level they now have to put up with didn't exist in their village, and what did exist didn't have the specific sound / frequency distribution - so it's still annoying - maddening even, if you need to suffer because some others decided to put those things a few hundred meters near you.

musicale 5y ago

Road noise is nothing compared to the horror of aircraft noise in US cities. Average noise level doesn't tell you the frequency spectrum; the low frequency noise from (aircraft, roads, power plants, etc.) is particularly unbearable, and inescapable even inside sound-insulated buildings, while the high frequency noise from (aircraft, turbines, 24/7 emergency vehicles, etc.) hits the 5KHz "crying baby" peak of sensitivity in human hearing.

pixl97 5y ago
Are aircraft somehow quieter in EU cities?
- pasabagi 5y ago
  Seems so? This[0] paper was a bit above my head, but seemed to be premised on the notion that the EU had stricter noise regulations (although that could be counterbalanced by the relative population density of the EU). [0]: https://scholar.smu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1547&context=jalc https://scholar.smu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1547&con...

mdp2021 5y ago

> How does that compare in dB That is statistics as blurred images :) Compare 55dB of, say, so-called "musical impressionism" to 43db of "hardcore techno"...

pasabagi 5y ago
Which is which, though? I mainly wanted to do a dB comparison so there's a reference to how this 'torture' compares to other, normal experiences. If they had made this point of fact explicit in the article, then maybe they would have went on to explain how the particular sound profile of the wind turbines was somehow worse (hopefully with evidence!) than it seems at first blush. Since they didn't, it's pretty clear to me that the writer or editor has either woeful research practices, deficient intellect, or a private interest. My money is on the last one: lots of wealthy, well-connected people own holiday homes that lose value when people build turbines near them.
- mdp2021 5y ago
  > it's pretty clear to me ... deficient intellect What?!?!?!? I clearly stated it: sound amplitude has nothing to do with it - that can be a source of torture, or may not: it is the shape and duration of the sound. If you thought that this 'torture' can be compared to other experiences through a dB value, you are not entitled to write about deficiency. Be informed: certain noise is a nuisance with one wearing white noise inside earmuffs over earpugs. That abates decibels, yet can make the effect even worse. They have not «went on to explain how the particular sound profile of the wind turbines» because it's not needed at all, you do not normally need to convince the public: if you yourself do not believe that those things are a nuisance, go listen to one! And even if someone played "bearable", you know: that's your feeling, go live or just stay near one if you want; others have passed by them, remained in shock, and now avoid them, with some relative difficulty, because there are territories around the world that do not offer that much space left, which increases the fear as "deficient intellects" are all around and many voices has raised lately "let us multiply those turbines", which translates to some as "let us adopt silver bullet solutions which are popular: let us give the public what they want", "careful what you wish for" for "deficient intellects". If a speaker is naive in thinking that the public can receive a message, that is not even 'intellect' at fault - it's 'outellect'. The inside may work very well, it's the outside that does not duly reflect expectations.