Decibel Converter

Power, voltage, and reference-level decibel conversions plus incoherent source summation.

Run the calculator

Example

You enter

Mode power-ratio
Reference power p1 (W) 1
Power p2 (W) 2

You get

Result (dB) 3.0103

Details, formula, and sources

Power dB = 10*log10(P2/P1); voltage/pressure dB = 20*log10(V2/V1); dBu ref 0.775 V, dBV ref 1 V, dBSPL ref 20 uPa; incoherent sum L = 10*log10(sum 10^(Li/10)).

Per the ANSI S1.1 acoustical-terminology decibel definitions (power 10*log, field-quantity 20*log) and the standard reference levels (dBu 0.775 V, dBV 1 V, dBSPL 20 uPa), by name; public.

Free read-only access to the ANSI S1.1 table of contents at ansi.org. The decibel definitions are public.

Estimate. Head rigger and manufacturer working-load-limit charts govern. Inspect every piece of hardware before the show.

Field names used by the API: mode, p1, p2, db

Reference levels dBu 0.775 V, dBV 1 V, dBSPL 20 uPaANSI S1.1