As speaker technology advances, we seem increasingly interested in ‘loudness’ and how it is achieved. It has been theorized that we favor louder sounds over quieter ones, especially when listening to music. Some researchers suggest a song played louder than the previous one will sound better. There is no evidence to support this. However, it fueled the ongoing ‘loudness wars’ over several decades and no longer has much relevance as streaming services regulate output levels and compression.
This psychoacoustic effect got me thinking about our obsession with loudness and the effects of louder sounds on our ears and bodies. While researching speakers for our article on the loudest Bluetooth speakers, I became curious about the decibel levels the loudest speaker in the world could generate, so I compiled a list of the world’s loudest speakers. Most of these are not available on the public market- but it’s interesting nonetheless!
Warning: Loud Noise Can Damage Your Hearing
Any sound at or above 85 dBA is more likely to damage your hearing over time. Read our article on Understanding Loudness if you plan to listen to speakers at high volumes.
1. The 60-inch Subwoofer by Georgia Tech
It’s no secret that car audio enthusiasts are some of the biggest bass-heads around. The 60-inch subwoofer was originally designed as a bass experiment for vehicles in the late 90s but never saw an installation as it was simply too powerful for any vehicle to handle. The subwoofer’s cone would move up to 6 inches from peak to peak, and even when tested at 50% volume, this speaker was just too ridiculously strong to use. At half power, doors flew off of cars, and vehicles ballooned several inches in and out as the subsonic energy circulated within the vehicle designed to reach 188dB.
Bass is tricky to handle, and we’ve seen it all when it comes to overly powerful low-end energy. From speakers catching alight from the load to people’s bodies shaking uncontrollably and suffering some unfavorable conditions after that, bass can be incredibly dangerous if the wrong gear falls into the wrong hands.
2. 9918Z by Digital Designs
The 9918Z is a speaker and subwoofer combo that can reach shockingly high levels of up to 180.5 dB. Digital Designs offers other speakers in the 9900 range that you can buy. The 9918Z is based on an 18-inch subwoofer, standard size for large concerts and movie theaters, where the lowest audible bass frequencies are reproduced and succeed in giving you that thumping feeling in your chest. This is no toy!
3. Thermal Acoustic Fatigue Apparatus at NASA
The Applied Acoustics Branch at NASA’s Langley Research Center does thermoacoustic fatigue testing, a combination of loud sound and high temperatures that simulate the extreme conditions that airframes might be subjected to. The thermal protection system (TPS) tiles that protect the Space Shuttle during reentry were tested here. Part of this configuration is a horn speaker, large enough for a person to stand upright that can generate up to 172 dB.
At these volumes, the airframe or object would be subjected to severe vibrations and resulting stresses caused by the high-intensity sound waves. During tests, NASA would evacuate the building and the sound could be heard several blocks from the test center.
4. WAS 3000 by Wyle Laboratories
The WAS 3000 by Wyle Labs is a 300W monster capable of reaching playback levels of 165 dB. However, the WAS 3000 is not used to play music or broadcast announcements. It is used predominantly as an airstream modulator. This noise reduction technique employs large systems to play a reversed-polarity version of the unwanted noise, along with compressed air and nitrogen, generating pockets of sound where noise reduction can occur. This has been utilized in airports where the low-frequency rumble of aircraft needs to be tamed and for battlefield simulations for the United States Military.
The WAS 3000 dominated the number one spot as the loudest speaker in the world for many years but has been unseated by more modern designs.
5. ESA Horns in Noordwijk, Netherlands
The European Space Agency (ESA) has an acoustic division that developed a series of 4 horns to assist with shuttle take-offs. The four horns act as a noise reduction device, similar to how the WAS 3000 is used to limit the unwanted air pressure surrounding the space shuttle, satellites, and other delicate equipment on the launchpad.
If you’ve seen a satellite launch, you may have seen them dumping water on the launch platform- many people think this was to cool down the engines, but it was used to absorb some of the acoustic energy that would have caused serious damage to the shuttle. These ESA Horns fire sound at a volume of 154 dB, around the level of multiple large jets taking off at once.
6. Matterhorn by Danley Sound Labs
The Matterhorn speaker comprises 40 drivers, each playing their part in crafting this powerful wall of sound, capable of pushing around 152 dB of volume at its peak and 104 dB at a distance of 820 feet. The speaker is driven by 40,000W of power and uses nearly 1,100 ft of 12-gauge cabling and 23 pounds of .003 welding wire. This is an impressive build!
The Matterhorn was designed and built as Danley Sound Labs heard about the requirement for an incredibly large and powerful military subwoofer. Their chief engineer, Tom Danley, assembled a team to make this speaker. Danley had previously built other military-grade instruments for various uses, including sonic boom generators and ground zero bomb simulators to test troops’ abilities to maintain focus when deafening conditions arise.
While not the loudest speaker in the world, it still commands some serious respect.
How Loud is the World’s Loudest Speakers?
To compare and contrast the loudness of the speakers above, here’s a table of the decibel scale and the effects of everyday sounds.
Decibel | Example | Pain |
10dB | Quiet breathing, distant rustling leaves | None |
40dB | Quiet library, average home background noise | None |
60dB | Conversation speech at 3ft | None |
75dB | Vacuum cleaner at 3ft distance, curbside of a busy road | Slight |
90dB | Diesel truck in close proximity, bar background noise | Moderate |
100dB | Chainsaw when operating | Irritating |
110dB | Average nightclub/concert | Uncomfortable |
120dB | Large jet plane takeoff | Painful |
126dB | Loudest Portable Bluetooth Speaker | Excruciating |
130dB | Gunshots, explosions | Unbearable |
180dB | Flashbang/Stun Grenade | Damaging |
It’s worth noting that this scale differs from person to person- while one may find discomfort in sounds at 75 dB, another may have a pain threshold that allows them to reach volume levels of 100 dB.
The Effects of loud sounds on our ears and Bodies
Hearing damage can occur from short exposure to a very loud sound (such as a gunshot nearby) or prolonged exposure to sounds such as heavy machinery or loud concerts. Hearing loss also occurs as we age, and the higher frequencies are the first to go, leaving us with difficulty deciphering clearer tones as we age.
Suppose you’re experimenting with the volume levels of your speakers or plan on buying any loud party speakers at some stage. In that case, I’d highly recommend wearing ear protection when operating such equipment. At the very minimum, short-term damage will occur. Just because it doesn’t hurt does not mean it is not still causing damage to our ears.
Aside from short or long-term hearing damage, ringing in your ears, or headaches, there are also several other non-aural outcomes of prolonged exposure to dangerously loud sound levels.
Studies have shown that ultrasonic frequencies (above 20kHz) at volumes around 180dB can cause physical damage and can be used as a weapon where the pain area can be localized. Scary stuff! Similarly, subsonic frequencies below 20Hz cause vibrations that will rattle some of your insides- the first and most noticeable will be your eyeballs, which will shake uncontrollably, making it impossible to see clearly.
Aside from ultra-high and low frequencies, the remaining audio spectrum we can hear can still be extremely dangerous if experienced at higher volume levels. As we saw in our chart, the threshold for pain and human hearing is around 120-130dB, anything more than this is extremely painful. Sounds around 150dB can cause complications within our lungs due to the large air pressure changes, and our vocal cords and bones will vibrate.
A good example of weaponizing sound at these volumes is flashbangs (also known as stun grenades), which, while used as a non-lethal weapon by law enforcement, can cause permanent hearing damage if the explosion is close enough to the victim. Flashbangs can typically create between 165 and 180 dB of sound.
A sound this loud will also blow your eardrums and melt your ear wax. Humans should not experience these sound pressure levels.
If you’re wondering at this point if a sound can kill you, the short answer is, yes.
If the sound is directional and loud enough, it can cause organ collapse and, ultimately, death. This might not happen instantly, but it won’t take long. Scientists have described the sensation as similar to being trapped underwater… interesting stuff!
what was that low frequency driver that the U S Navy used. some years ago ?
Not sure on the exact driver, the US Navy has quite a lot of classified sonic devices at their disposal that they’ve either tested or are in the process of testing. Would be cool to get the low-down on their driver engineering though.
THe actual loudest speaker in the world was at NASA Langley during the shuttle program. It was a horn big enough to stand in, and we used it and high output Quartz Lamps to replicate the sound and heat of reentry as a test for shuttle tiles.
They emptied that part the building before lighting it off, and you could hear it from outside for several blocks.
David – we actually tried to find more information about the large horn speaker used by NASA at Langley during the Space Shuttle program for testing the TPS. There’s plenty of information about the actual tests and results in NASA’s archives, but the highest SPL we could confirm was between 160-170dB as this was deemed sufficient to conduct the tests. The speaker may have been able to deliver more than that though.
Do you have any resources you can point us to that would show the maximum SPL this speaker was able to generate? An image of the setup would be great as well…