How much louder is 80 dB than 70 dB? This free decibel comparison tool compares two sound levels and shows the difference in dB, how much louder one sounds, and how much more sound energy and pressure it has.
Type in two levels, or measure sound A and sound B with your microphone, for example before and after soundproofing or when choosing between two appliances.
Volume Level Comparator
Compare two sound levels in decibels: type them in, or measure sound A and sound B with your microphone.
B (80 dB) is 10 dB louder than A (70 dB): it sounds about twice as loud.
- Difference
- +10.0 dB
- Perceived loudness
- 2× as loud
- Sound energy (intensity)
- 10× as much
- Sound pressure
- 3.16× as much
Clearly noticeable: a 10 dB change is the classic “twice as loud”.
- A: 70 dB is about as loud as a vacuum cleaner.
- B: 80 dB is about as loud as city traffic inside a car.
Perceived loudness uses the rule of thumb that +10 dB sounds about twice as loud. Measured levels are estimates from your device microphone (dB(A)); measure both sounds with the same device, distance and position.
Related Tools
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- Decibel Calculator
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- Sound Decibel Meter
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- Background Noise Test
Measure a room's background noise before and after changes.
- Noise Exposure Calculator
See how long each level is safe to hear.
- SPL Converter
Convert decibels to pascals and back.
How to Compare Two Sound Levels
- Type level A and level B in decibels and press Compare, or use Swap to reverse them.
- To measure instead, press Measure A while the first sound plays, then Measure B for the second. Each measures a 5-second A-weighted average.
- Read the difference, how much louder it sounds and whether the change is noticeable. Examples and links show what each level is like.
- Use Copy link to share the comparison.
For a fair measured comparison, use the same device, the same distance and the same position for both sounds, and keep other noise steady.
How Much Louder Is It? Three Different Answers
A decibel difference can be described in three ways, and each answers a different question:
- Perceived loudness: how much louder it sounds to a person. As a rule of thumb, +10 dB sounds about twice as loud.
- Sound energy (intensity): the physical power of the sound. +3 dB doubles it and +10 dB multiplies it by ten.
- Sound pressure: what a microphone measures. +6 dB doubles it and +20 dB multiplies it by ten.
| Difference | Sounds louder by | Sound energy | Sound pressure |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 dB | 1.07× | 1.26× | 1.12× |
| 3 dB | 1.23× | 2× | 1.41× |
| 5 dB | 1.41× | 3.16× | 1.78× |
| 6 dB | 1.52× | 3.98× | 2× |
| 10 dB | 2× | 10× | 3.16× |
| 20 dB | 4× | 100× | 10× |
| 30 dB | 8× | 1,000× | 31.62× |
Because the scale is logarithmic, these ratios grow quickly (see why the decibel scale is logarithmic and what a decibel is).
Will You Hear the Difference?
| Change | What most people notice |
|---|---|
| Under 1 dB | Nothing: too small to hear outside a lab |
| 1–3 dB | Barely noticeable in everyday listening |
| 3–5 dB | Noticeable |
| 5–10 dB | Clearly noticeable |
| 10 dB or more | About twice as loud, or more |
This is why a soundproofing product that cuts noise by only 2–3 dB can feel disappointing, while a 10 dB reduction feels like halving the noise.
Common Comparisons
| Comparison | Difference | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 60 dB vs 70 dB | 10 dB | A vacuum cleaner sounds about twice as loud as a conversation. |
| 70 dB vs 80 dB | 10 dB | City traffic heard inside a car is about twice as loud as a vacuum cleaner, with ten times the energy. |
| 85 dB vs 88 dB | 3 dB | Barely louder, but double the energy, so the safe listening time halves (8 h to 4 h under NIOSH). |
| 60 dB vs 90 dB | 30 dB | About 8 times as loud and 1,000 times the sound energy. |
Before-and-After Measurements
Measured comparisons are the easiest way to check whether something worked: new windows, a rug, a quieter fan, or a neighbour turning the music down. Measure A before the change and B after it, at the same spot and time of day. For noise that varies, compare averages over a few minutes with the sound decibel meter instead of single readings (how to measure decibels). If you are documenting neighbour noise, see apartment noise complaint levels, and for typical levels in each room see room noise levels.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 10 dB twice as loud?
It sounds roughly twice as loud to most people, although it carries ten times the sound energy. Doubling the energy only adds 3 dB.
How much louder is 80 dB than 70 dB?
80 dB sounds about twice as loud as 70 dB, with 10 times the sound energy and about 3.2 times the sound pressure.
What does a 3 dB difference mean?
3 dB is double (or half) the sound energy, the result of adding a second identical source. It is about the smallest change most people notice in everyday listening.
Can I compare dB with dBA?
Only roughly. dB(A) readings reduce low frequencies to match hearing, so a bass-heavy sound reads lower in dB(A) than in flat dB. Compare readings made with the same weighting (dB vs dBA).