IDEA 20090214 Loudest Sound System

While Matt Hope and I are making sound systems, my friend Barry proposed the idea of making the loudest sound system on the earth. What is the farthest distance one can project sound between two points and/or the loudest sound pressure one can achieve with a sound source? Looks like researchers have already developed this in the lab: http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/extreme_machines/1280821.html

http://media.popularmechanics.com/images/tb_loudspeaker-lg.jpg

Here is a loud horn on a semi-flatbed, much like Matt Hope's artwork.

http://matthope.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/hornmassive_outside.jpg

http://www.noiseaddicts.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/was3000-2small.jpg

Here is a list of sound pressure levels:

- at 135 dB you experience a slight cooling sensation from the air

- at 140 dB your throat and vocal chords start to vibrate

- at 142 dB your chest starts to pound intensely

- at 148 dB the vibration because uncomfortable and even painful

- at 150 dB you experience the overwhelming sensation of being compressed as if underwater

- at 155 dB the compression and expansion from vibration is felt to the "core"

- at 158 dB the vibration is violent, and nausea becomes intense

- at 190 dB eardrums rupture 50% of the time

- at 198 dB human death from sound (shock wave) alone