Safe SPL Listening Dose & Digital Audio Bitrate Calculator
Safe SPL Dose & Lossless Bitrate Formulas
Under the NIOSH / WHO 85 dB (8-hour) standard, every +3 dB increase doubles acoustic energy and cuts safe listening time in half (85 dB = 8 hr, 88 dB = 4 hr, 91 dB = 2 hr, 94 dB = 1 hr). Uncompressed PCM audio bitrate equals Sample Rate × Bit Depth × Channels (1,411.2 kbps for 16-bit/44.1kHz CD stereo).
Safe Daily Limit: 8.0 hrs (NIOSH) • 31% Daily Noise Dose
24-bit / 96 kHz Stereo: 4,608 kbps uncompressed PCM (2.07 GB/hr WAV • ~1.14 GB/hr FLAC)
8.0 hrs
NIOSH / WHO Max Time
31%
Daily Noise Dose
16.0 hrs
OSHA Workplace Limit
4,608 kbps
Uncompressed Bitrate
2.07 GB/hr
WAV / AIFF Storage
1.14 GB/hr
Lossless FLAC (~55%)
Safe Daily SPL Exposure Ladder (NIOSH 3 dB vs. OSHA 5 dB Exchange)
| Average SPL (dBA) | NIOSH / WHO Safe Limit | OSHA Limit | Typical Audio Benchmark |
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