Very, very loud speakers for those who listen at '11'

PHC's SCR-12

(Credit: Professional Home Cinema)

Designed by L. Paul Hales to produce concert-level sound in the home, speakers from Professional Home Cinema dare to go where no audiophile manufacturer would: PHC speakers play loud enough to duplicate live concert volume levels. For real, no kidding.

Take the SCR-12 ($4,000 each), it's a medium format "Screen Channel" loudspeaker capable of reproducing the awesome dynamics and unrestricted volume levels of a commercial cinema or concert PA system in your home theater. It uses digital signal processing (DSP), high-resolution frequency response shaping, and time-alignment to produce a maximum output exceeding 130 decibels. That's really, really loud! Even so, the SCR-12 measures a fairly compact 24x15x12 inches. I assume most buyers will place the speakers behind a perforated projection screen.

PHC speakers are meant to be partnered with PHC amplifiers. Complete 5.1 channel systems start around $30,000. PHC offers a range of high SPL capable speakers, subwoofers, and an amplifier.

Professional Home Cinema's Web site is about to be updated. Check the site in a few weeks to see the changes.

[kickert]

...and time-alignment to produce a maximum output exceeding 130 decibels...

That is great since pain begins at 135dB and at 140dB even short term exposure can cause permanent hearing damage.

[jriebe]

What's that? You came over to visit last night and no amount of doorbell ringing or banging on the doors and windows caught our attention? Must have been our new mega-eardrum-nuker speakers!

Why not come up with ultra-high quality speakers that people don't have to pay an arm and a leg for, and which don't get the police called on people at midnight because the neighbor's glass of water got shaken off the nightstand onto the floor...

[pformagg]

I agree with jriebe

[v1m]

I'd rather listen to music fairly quietly, but my apartment won't let me. Hvac, electrical, elevator, refrigerator, washer-dryer, street sounds: what a #$@! racket. I end up playing music louder just to compete with it. If I had more money to throw at audio, it wouldn't go toward better equipment -- I'd build an acoustical sanctuary.

[Martiat]

What is the point ? To produce a new generation of people with severe and definitive hearing impairment ? I use to go to live rock concert, from time to time (not many) and I feel that it is not good for me. I usually need one day to recover. Just look at legislations, in several countries, limiting the loudness of MP3 players at 110 dB (to protect people from damages). These speaker should not even be allowed to sell, except for concert purposes. Are you still an audiophile, able to listen to music with pleasure, without having lost the capacity to hear a large bit of frequencies. Or did you already listened too many times at a too higher volume, wich makes you longing for such loudness ?