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This article is from the Acoustics FAQ, by Andrew Silverman with numerous contributions by others.

2.5 How do sound levels add ?

If there are two sound sources in a room - for example a radio producing an average sound level of 62.0 dB, and a television producing a sound level of 73.0 dB - then the total sound level is a logarithmic sum ie

     Combined sound level = 10 x lg ( 10^(62/10) + 10^(73/10) )
                          = 73.3 dB

Note: for two different sounds, the combined level cannot be more than 3 dB above the higher of the two sound levels. However, if the sounds are phase related there can be up to a 6dB increase in SPL.

 

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physics, acoustics