What Is A Sones Online

The defining reference point for the sone scale is simple and elegant. One sone is defined as the loudness of a 1,000 Hz (a mid-range frequency, similar to a high female voice) tone at 40 decibels above the standard threshold of hearing. In practical terms, the sound of a quiet refrigerator humming in a silent kitchen is roughly 1 sone. From this anchor point, the scale operates on a principle of multiplication, not addition.

Here is the key to understanding sones: a sound that is judged by listeners to be as a 1-sone sound is rated as 2 sones . A sound judged to be four times as loud is 4 sones. This is a linear scale of perception. In contrast, the decibel scale is logarithmic; a 10 dB increase generally sounds about twice as loud to human ears, not ten times as loud. For example: what is a sones

Because the scale is linear, it is much easier for consumers to interpret than decibels: Half as loud as 1 sone. The defining reference point for the sone scale

When you ask "what is a sones," you are really asking "how annoying will this fan be?" From this anchor point, the scale operates on