Ok, I got a ticket the other day for playing my music in my car too loud. The cops are idiots. My music wasn't even that loud. Anyway, I intend to fight it in court. The cop said he herd me from a block away, but I think he saw a young kid in a sports car and wrote me a ticket, he didn't have a decible meter on him.
This is what I need to calculate.

What is the decible level of my system if you were standing right outside of the car?

What is the decible level of my system from 200 ft away?

What is the Maximum Potential Decible Level my system could reach?


-----Specs-----
Total System power RMS = 1000 watts
Total Max Peak Power = 2000 watts
Signal to Noise Ratio of system = 89 dBs
Current supplied to system = 60 amp @12 volts
% of power of system at the time of being pulled over = 30%
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Thanks, let me know if you need any other information for calculation.

If you fight it in court, you probably won't win.

The policeman will say you had your stereo on too loud, and it will be your word against his as to whether that is true or not. The court will side with the police. Why? Because why would the policeman lie? Whereas you have a very good motive for lying.

However, if you're not spending money on legal representation then you could give it a try and see how you go. Do you have written evidence of the policeman's claim to have heard you from a block away?

Also, you should be calculating based on the loudest your stereo can go, since there is no reason for a court to believe that you only had it at 30%, and not 100%.

Did you have the sub-woofer too loud, i.e. too much bass? I ask this because low frequency, high amplitude sound waves can induce a physical effect similar to being elbowed in the solar plexus. The frequency response of a more 'humane' system might be in the range 20 - 20k Hz, but perhaps your system is designed to exploit the 1 - 19 Hz range at amplitudes capable of gradually seperating elements of your car's chassis. Sorry for the humor, just trying to lighten the situation. I hope the ticket situation works out in your favor.

That system setup you have is indeed capable of playing VERY loud. But remember, the sound intensity decreases with the square of the distance, so 200 ft away would diminish it considerably.

I suggest reading the specific statute of your state that specifies how loud your music can be. See if there is some loophole, or some ambiguity in the phrasing.