Source
r/drums•
tsreadit

Zildjian L80 real world volume test.

I recently picked up a set of Zildjian L80s thinking this, along with my mesh drum heads, would allow me to finally play my drums at night after I've completed all of my familial responsibilities and my wife and kids are sleeping. Nope.

I have a small closet-like space in my basement that I use for all of my music gear. I set up the L80s and tested the volume levels with an SPL app on my phone, sitting on my throne at my kit.

Results (average db): Crash: 70-80db Ride: 80-85db Hi-hats (open): 110-115db

The hi-hats are loud. Definitely way quieter than regular hats but still much louder than I was expecting. On most decibel level charts, anything over 80 is considered "loud" and anything over 110 is considered "very loud." 110 is the average human pain threshold. Some examples of sounds that average about 110db: auto horn at 1 meter, leaf blower, live rock concert. The time to reach daily exposure limit without earplugs at 110db is <90 seconds.

I played around for about 5 minutes testing the levels and trying to decide if they were going to work before I put them back in the box. After I finished I was dizzy and had a headache for about 20 minutes. Granted, I've always played with earplugs, and I have sensitive ears, but the high frequencies the hi-hats produce really drill into your head.

If you have a modern, well-insulated house/apartment, no kids, and/or you mostly play during the day, the L80s would be great because it's mostly high frequencies that don't travel far. But if you, like me, have an old house, kids, and you want to play at night they're a little much. I'm going to stick with cymbal mutes and consider saving up for an e-kit.

Posted Mar 5, 2018, 2:15 PM UTC

27
mereddits•

Compared to real cymbals, the L80s are very quiet... But you're right that they're not silent.

If your house is really poorly insulated, an e-kit might also be too noisy, especially one with rubber pads, and the kick drum if you've got wooden floors. I've used them in apartments, and the people above and below me could tell I was drumming. There are a few things you can do, like adding extra padding around things. Otherwise, you could work on your dynamics to keep things quiet!

3
tsreaditOP•

The dull thud of an e-kit would be ok. I currently have mesh heads and muted cymbals and that doesn’t bother the family. I just wanted the more realistic feeling the L80s provide.

1
braedizzle•

Sorry to break it to you, but a hybrid of the two is damn near impossible to achieve. Maybe L80s with the dampening rings I've seen around lately? I can't for the life of me remember the brand name.

1
EthanR16•

I think your numbers might be off. I picked up a set of L80’s months ago and have had nothing but positive experiences with them, they really changed drumming for me. I’m not sure that the app gave you accurate readings, 110 decibels on the hats would be ridiculously loud , I think they say that’s comparable to a chainsaw. In my experience the hats are definitely the loudest but they couldn’t be louder than 85dB give or take. I’m not trying to discredit your opinion, just don’t think those numbers aren’t very accurate.

1
tsreaditOP•

They definitely could be off but I use that app frequently and it always seems accurate. I think the difference (and I’m just guessing here) is in actual decibel level vs perceived volume. A chainsaw or a rock concert or the other things I mentioned all seem louder because they are constant sources with multiple frequencies but a cymbal just hits and decays. However the decibel level can be the same.

I’m glad you like the L80s. The Silentstroke heads were a game changer for me. Without them I couldn’t play my kit at all. I really don’t like the sound off pads.

1
EthanR16•

Yeah the silentstroke heads are amazing, I’d tell you to check out Sabians take on the L80’s but from the sound demos I’ve heard, they’re a lot higher pitched than the Zildjians.

1
braedizzle•

I have no idea how you got a headache after that. Obviously 2 pieces of metal clanging together will be louder than just one being struck with a wooden stick.

I tried using these in a low volume band practice and they were useless - they couldn't be heard. I have zero reservations about these cymbals ever being "too loud" - I even add a Pro Mark sizzler on the crash and ride to get a little extra out of them.

All that being said, I play along to an iPhone plus speaker and can still hear it plenty - it's laid on a desk about 6"-10" away from my floor tom on the right side. If you can hear your phone playing over an acoustic kit, that's pretty good IMO.

Also, I'll trust Zildjian's measurements over a phone app. Don't forget that "L80" represents being 80% lower than most standard cymbals, not that they are at 80 db or anything.

1