whats the loudest fire alarm?
- None of those
- You put 4050 twice
- You only put well-known fire alarms, I’m sure there are much louder obscure ones
- Learn to type
- You can’t poll a fact.
A better title would probably be “loudest sounding” or “most harsh” fire alarm, since loudness will be slightly different for each device depending on the voltage and current draw. Though the dB ratings for alarms are often measured anechoically or slightly reverberant, the rooms that alarms are installed in will react differently depending on the size, shape, material of the surfaces, and tonal characteristics of the alarm itself. A hallway full of SpectrAlert Advances is going to be far more tolerable in an office building with carpeting, wood paneling, and an acoustic ceiling (all absorbant and warm-sounding surfaces) as oppose to an old school with tile over concrete floors and walls and a plaster ceiling. In the case of that old school, TrueAlerts or Genesises may seem louder than SpectrAlert Advances because of their preponderance of high-mid frequencies which will flutter echo like crazy across a rectangular hallway, something that would be diffused in a round or odd-shaped room. The reason that the SpectrAlert Advance sounds “nasty” is that it plays a broadband tone and will travel longer distances without necessarily being louder.
Now, with all the boring audio geekery aside, my vote for the loudest sounding alarm would be the Amseco motor horn.
I’ve removed the poll, and renamed the topic.
What fire alarm is the loudest is not a matter of opinion. Hence the poll was inappropriate.
Loudest that I ever heard in person was the SAE 2DCD horn in high school. We had them on the ceiling next to the 9838 horns and when I was in that hallway when it went off, it was deafening.
I heard Andrew say it was a super loud alarm on his website.
As for me, probably the Simplex GX-90 (think 7 of them going off in one hallway)
The Simplex 4030. Hands down.
If something is so loud that it can clearly be heard in any room in my house… it’s the loudest alarm ever.
How about the Federal explosion-proof horn a.k.a. Standard 30A? Loudest alarm I’ve ever heard, and I know others have said they were really loud even compared to other old AC horns.
The Simplex 4030.
I know there have been 4041s and 4051s but have there been 4031s?
It sounds like a 4030 to me, but the video is titled “4031”.