Dangerous Horn Speaker SPLs: How Best to Protect Your Hearing?

My biggest safety concern with horn speakers and super tweeters is protecting against unexpected peaks in program material. My room is 20 ft x 11 ft-then across a 4 ft wide hallway and into a 9 ft x 8 kitchen. A triangular ceiling that peaks at 11 ft is above everything. I plan to sit 11 ft from speakers with mid horn/driver and tweeter like these, but minus the back loaded horn. https://josephcrowe.com/products/speaker-system-no-2095

These woofers playing down to ~ 55Hz.

Below those I have two or three of these subs to use. https://www.rythmikaudio.com/F12.html

All music sources and movies (DVD, BD) are pc-based, with JRiver being my primary Windows player. Whether I use a stereo or DAC to first measure and correct the room acoustically as best I can-or then attempt further correction via a MCH DAC (e.g. https://www.merging.com/products/interfaces/hapi )-I was assured by Hapi users that I can control master volume and mute via a wireless Windows keyboard.

Having a lightweight keyboard on my lap for volume/mute is one thing, but it's those split second SPL blasts from movies, that all too often crop up in movies that can hit your ears, which literally terrifies me-as it should anyone who values their hearing (??!!). So, what's the best solution to provide instantaneous protection against dangerous SPLs while preserving audio quality (resolution)?

Some kind of limiter plug-in?? What would be best? But how fast and precise can it limit SPLs? And what sonic penalties might I pay for using it?

Seems to me that you have reason to celebrate. Just buy the best  low power amp you can afford and rejoice at all the money you don’t have to spend on a bigger amp. I still remember hearing  Klipshhorns blast out a college cafeteria at 1 watt. 

I'm not trying to sound like a smart-a$$ but...turn it down. I watch movies and stream programs regularly. I know where the volume level ought to be through the experience of watching and listening to other content previously. Of course, that kind of goes out the window when my son watches with me. He is a hard-of-hearing former marine (helicopter support). 

Does this not work for you? Or is this a new set-up you are trying to prepare for?

bed

2 hours ago, Former Hobbit said:

I'm not trying to sound like a smart-a$$ but...turn it down. I watch movies and stream programs regularly. I know where the volume level ought to be through the experience of watching and listening to other content previously.

 

Does this not work for you? Or is this a new set-up you are trying to prepare for?

Everything you said makes sense and is exactly how I would approach it. But I may have to be extras careful to maintain a safe volume range as my new speakers being horn loaded are capable of very high SPLs. The trouble is, outside of some very high resolution software plugin or hardware limiter, it looks like the only way to avoid constantly having to constantly ride the volume control is to add a center channel speaker between my mains. That would likely allow far better control of dialogue levels. But as they are 2 ft w x ~ 3.5 ft h floor standers the center speaker would block the view of my TV. And a projector and an acoustically transparent screen, where I could otherwise put the center speaker behind it, would pose multiple placement and installation problems. 

I had hoped that the internal speakers in the Sony A95L OLED TV would be usable as center channel speaker. Actually, they are but I've yet to find out how well, if at all, they will work with straight multichannel DACs, like the Hapi or DAC Pro 8

Hate to be a kill-joy, but I don't now why you'd risk your ears on this.  Buy some awesome traditional speakers and enjoy the extra years of tinnitus-free good hearing

23 hours ago, nxrm said:

bed

Everything you said makes sense and is exactly how I would approach it. But I may have to be extras careful to maintain a safe volume range as my new speakers being horn loaded are capable of very high SPLs. The trouble is, outside of some very high resolution software plugin or hardware limiter, it looks like the only way to avoid constantly having to constantly ride the volume control is to add a center channel speaker between my mains. That would likely allow far better control of dialogue levels. But as they are 2 ft w x ~ 3.5 ft h floor standers the center speaker would block the view of my TV. And a projector and an acoustically transparent screen, where I could otherwise put the center speaker behind it, would pose multiple placement and installation problems. 

 

I had hoped that the internal speakers in the Sony A95L OLED TV would be usable as center channel speaker. Actually, they are but I've yet to find out how well, if at all, they will work with straight multichannel DACs, like the Hapi or DAC Pro 8

 

 

So it seems to be mostly a dialogue clarity issue? I am not an expert on this but I do know that some streaming services are notorious for delivering less than stellar dialogue audio. I find dialogue can often be difficult to understand in my setup also. I use subtitles often. I do not use a center channel and I am not sure if the addition of one will necessarily improve dialogue clarity.

Do you have a way to tame the treble? Perhaps doing so would allow you to listen at the higher levels you need to hear the dialogue.

21 minutes ago, Former Hobbit said:

So it seems to be mostly a dialogue clarity issue? I am not an expert on this but I do know that some streaming services are notorious for delivering less than stellar dialogue audio. I find dialogue can often be difficult to understand in my setup also. I use subtitles often. I do not use a center channel and I am not sure if the addition of one will necessarily improve dialogue clarity.

 

Do you have a way to tame the treble? Perhaps doing so would allow you to listen at the higher levels you need to hear the dialogue.

I'm no expert either but according to this brand ~ 70% of what's heard from optical disc/TV broadcast/steaming content is mixed to present from the center speaker. https://www.svsound.com/collections/svs-center-channel-speakers  And that's especially so for dialogue. Subtitles? Unless I'm watching a foreign language film no thanks.  I think the best route is to ask Troy Crowe, who's designing my main speakers, to suggest a highly compatible center channel speaker design for them. I only hope that placement won't present any insurmountable problems.

All of my sources are digital and JRiver will be my player, and as it has equal loudness compensation

it almost certainly has programmable master volume limiting to protect my hearing by preventing excessive SPLs. https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php/topic,129421.msg965314.html#msg965314

Sounds like you have it figured out.