Can a siren be too loud?

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MrGibbage

Active Member
After reading the "It happened to me" thread, I decided I need to add some sirens to my setup. I read about the Elk screamers, rated at 106 db. I then wondered if there was anything even louder, and found some 140 db sirens. I'll bet I can find some that are even louder still. At some point, this will cause serious pain for anyone (and pets) in the house should the sirens go off. So, my quesion to the community is, all else being equal, what size siren and how many would you like in your house, if you could do it from scratch?

http://www.shop.com/op/~PARALYZING_140dB_S...93?sourceid=298

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MrGibbage said:
...PARALYZING_140dB ...
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sure paralyzing - but at what distance? paralyzing if you put your ear just in front of the piece. In the link, there is no distance for this "140dB" written. Maybe this pressure is only direct before. Just for the one reason, JCWithney can print a high number for this toy.

Take care ... of course for your ears, but also when reading promises. More than around/max 110 dB in a standarizised distance, you can not reach for $40. Have a look to the Wikipedia what means "140 dB"!
 
Murphy is right. The db ratings are not standardized for sounders, so manufacturer's might rate them differently.

Having said that, I would put sounders in areas that would mostly be targeted, Home Theater room, Den, etc. I would not go to any exteremes when installing them though...maybe 2 per floor max.
 
How about one of these babies? http://victorysiren.com/

Yup, its got a HEMI! But you cannot use it indoors. :)

What you see pictured above is a Chrysler Air Raid Siren, the most powerful siren in the world. It's the size of a car, measuring near 12-feet in length and standing more than 6-feet tall. It also weighs twice as much as today's typical car. This gigantic siren is powered by an 180-HP Chrysler Industrial V-8 HEMI® gasoline engine. The super-duty engine directly drives a three-stage compressor that blows 2,610 cubic feet of air a minute, at nearly 7 PSI, into a giant siren rotor. The compressed air screams through the chopper and out through six giant horns with an exit velocity of 400 miles per hour. The result is an incredibly loud 138 dB sound (measured 100 feet from the siren). The loudness of this siren is unmatched by any other warning device ever sold, ever. It's also considerably louder than the largest steam whistle or horn. As if that were not dramatic enough, the whole unit, engine and all, slowly rotates one and one-half times a minute on its iron turntable base.
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The Chrysler Air Raid Siren is so powerful that it can reportedly start fires with just the sound vibrations it produces. It can turn fog into rain, clearing the sky. It can produce an effective 70 dB air raid signal for a distance of two miles, and under proper conditions can be heard 30 to 50 miles away. Its advertised effective range was four miles in every direction. That's a long way!
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WayneW said:
How about one of these babies? http://victorysiren.com/
Click to expand...

That is way cool ! Here is another quote from the web site about sound level:

"The threshold of pain is 130 db, anything above that level causes immediate ear damage"
"To give some perspective, the sound level on the deck of an aircraft carrier 50 feet from a military jet aircraft taking-off using an afterburner has been measured at 130 dB."
 
Yes, remember that most alarms are false alarms... I would really reconsider anything that causes instant hearing damage as it will most likely be the wife/kids setting it off.
 
I was thinking the same thing. Getting *THAT* wake-up call at 0200 would not be nice. I think I'll stay below 100db at 10 feet or so.

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