Which Fire Alarm is Actually Loudest? Is the Advance actually the Loudest? Let’s Find Out!

[@CivilDefenseSoutherner]

I formerly had fire alarm phobia as a young kid years ago due to my Autism-but now I’m in the life safety hobby and collect fire alarms thx to the people on KZbin who share this interest. Regardless of my former alarm phobia-hearing protection is always a must when testing alarm devices for prolonged time and in close quarters (e.g. the bedroom of your house).

[@ezravaladez]

I have Autism too. In my elementary school, we had the est genesis, which are as this video proves very loud for there damned small size. I had (and probably still do) have fire alarm phobia. When I am informed we are having a fire drill, I clench my teeth real tight. But I'm also genuinely interested in them. I hate spectralert advances though. They are way to fricken loud. There are two at my current high school, and they're both in bathrooms. Glad I haven't heard one of those suckers go off

[@kazu1k425]

@@ezravaladez ☝️

[@kazu1k425]

Fire alarmsrms

[@ezravaladez]

@@kazu1k425 what?

[@SirensAndAlarmsOfNorthernIL]

All my schools had Wheelock ZNSs, and some had a mix of ZNSs, UMMTs, and speaker strobes. I was also afraid of loud noises back in the day, but that changed shortly after I became into outdoor warning sirens

[@razvandobos9759]

As a person with Aspergers and hearing sensitivities, this hits home for me. Incredible video! Really expands my knowledge of alarms

[@davev.9111]

I have that too and always struggled with fire alarms throughout my time at school.

[@mysticgirl916]

I always felt sick every time a drill was announced (sometimes we'd have 2 drills in a single day). My old elementary school had Simplex 4051s on continuous before the system got overhauled, while my high school had old Edwards horns (the system there later got updated to I think Spectralert classics). I always had to cover my ears every time they went off because they were so freaking loud

[@lackedpuppet9022]

On the hearing protection: It's also important to note that the average you took is of data 10ft away. Most enthusiasts are not 10ft away. Pull stations are typically placed nearby notification devices, notification devices are often stationed near the panel, and demo boards obviously put you real close and personal with your alarms. Therefore it's even more important that you wear hearing protection if you're an enthusiast.

[@maas1208]

As a person who lives in Chicago, my old Elementry/Middle school had Spectralert Advances and my High school has Simplex Mechanical Horns, Remote Strobe TrueAlerts (I think a Horn Strobe TrueAlert in the main office), 4903s, and 1 Spectralert L-series and 1 Gray Edwards Intergrity Amber Horn Strobe as a CO alarm.

[@codfish1113]

It's all fun and games until you're in a room with an Advance or Genesis reverberating (e.g. a school gymnasium)

[@SytenixRBX]

or 4 truealert horn strobes

[@AllTheOne219]

@@SytenixRBX yes

[@AllTheOne219]

Fun fact: that is the same one in my apartment

[@alexandersalarms5380]

My middle school had genesis, loud as all hell!

[@blueauraretriever]

@@alexandersalarms5380 same with my middle school. Hear the damn thing from the other side of the football field. No integrity on the outside btw!

[@Deadlocked-ye1zo]

1:48 this is an alarm sound I never heard before but this one freaked me the fuck out

[@sethhorst6158]

Definitely explains why the Wheelock AS was the most startling to me out of all alarms I ever heard go off in person.

[@thepokemonguy996]

My school has mostly NSs, an AS in one class, a ZNS in the upstairs hall, and 2 idk what they are in the gym

[@Alwaysdoinit112]

Nothing like having a wheelock AH go off in your hotel room at night.

[@jaybird2000]

And The Mt is Just as bad because they use the Same horn.

[@sethhorst6158]

@@jaybird2000 I remember seeing an MT with the outdoor strobe variation at a Chuck E Cheese I grew up with that closed 4 years ago

[@GabetheSlacker]

The fact that fire alarms are ear piercing with the 90s or hundreds of decibels they generate, that is the reason why I need ear protection for the fire drills at my school.

[@tornadoandfiresirensofohio8479]

I mean when you have a Wheelock NS horn in the bathroom 💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀

[@idkanymore9590]

Bro if I were to be in that situation where I would be on the toilet and it goes off, I would turn into a rocket.

[@maas1208]

Saw an Exceeder Horn strobe in a bathroom in a Jewel Osco, luckly it never went off

[@michaelgrahamwongacutemadness]

@@maas1208in the basement level floor of the northshore mall in Peabody there used to be singular bathrooms near the escalator with 9838 or 9846 horns on whatever the gentex rebranded strobe plates are

[@Liliththehhlover]

The alarm: BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!!!!

[@Autisticswiftie-eg]

I HAD THAT AT MY PRIMARY (grades 1-3) SCHOOL 😭😭😭

[@dabeckfestgamez_yt6481]

My kindergarten had AS-24MCC's. Every time we had a fire drill I would cry cause they were so loud

[@blueauraretriever]

EST Genesis is actually louder than integrity. The integrity is decently loud however it is nowhere near as loud as Genesis.

[@fr33d0m_t0w3r]

Fun fact: I did not know that

[@maple.syrupdunne3333]

Why are one of the 2 that are in the 100s the ones in our schools busting out our eardrums :')

[@Maggiethepokebowllover]

1:17 same alarm as my school

[@nebulavortex3531]

I wish we had those bells at my school but nope we have slectralert classic and the layout of the alarm in each classroom is that its behind everybody

[@jcc3279]

Simplex 4030-2b them things are insane the old building my old job was in was full of them.

[@invaluablemoonshine7285]

That sounds like torture, I bet those things would clear a wheelock ns xD

[@mattthebassboy]

My high school had the advances it’s no joke that they are loud

[@maas1208]

My old elementry school in Chicago have them

[@Seeker-wq8jc]

I'm amazed the TrueAlert wasn't number one. We had those at a brand new Elementary school back in the early 00s (it had just been built, some of the fire alarms had plastic wrap still on them), and they are the reason I hate fire alarms to this day. I've always had sensitive hearing, always covering my ears for sounds "loud" to others, but not normally intolerable as they are to me. Fire alarms gave me so much anxiety at my Elementary school because they were so damn loud. I remember on multiple occasions I pissed myself because I refused to go to the bathroom, because I was so damn scared the alarms were going to randomly go off. It's kind of interesting that, while I don't like fire alarms in general, most of the time I'm okay to be around them, but I still won't set foot anywhere near a TrueAlert because how much they scared the hell out of me as a kid. I see a building that has them in place, I don't go in there unless I have to. I see a room that has one, I actively avoid that room. Yet I'm strangely enough fascinated by the things that I hate, searching up videos on them. But man, my skin crawls hearing the familiar, shrill beeping of a TrueAlert.

[@jonathanwezgray1756]

This is so true

[@zacharybishop6595]

The thing with the Truealert though is its more of a “vibrating” horn than a screaming one like the Advance for example

[@4008strobes]

My school has those truealarts and I remember having a fire drill and these truealarts where so loud I was 10ft away from them when I walked past one my ears where ringing

[@Seeker-wq8jc]

Sounds about right. I know at my old Elementary school, which was brand new at the time, they had these things absolutely everywhere, and the acoustics of those hallways was something else. I'm telling you, those things echoed. Nothing about it was great for a kid with sensitive hearing.

[@MrMaddenman4]

Same thing with the AS for me. They give me the creeps.

[@gentexguy]

Yep, I have an Exceder and even on low volume I consider it to be a form of legalized torture.

[@collinrobinson9966]

I have the advance at my work, and the halls have a heavy echo. (Hospital) It was actually a code red drill, and being stuck in the hallway that re-triggered my research into fire alarms. With my research, I've come to learn that my preference is a voice evacuation system. As plain alarms will now spike my anxiety to nearly cardiac arrest senarios. Not because I fear a fire, but because the sound of the alarms cause PTSD in me. (Childhood trauma in a school fire drill that caused a concussion) Now hospital security will come find me where I'm at to give me earplugs. However, I will not like to find out what would happen to me in a real emergency.

[@alexandersalarms5380]

No chime in a hospital?

[@mbcommandnerd]

@@alexandersalarms5380 Guess not, even though that’s what they are supposed to have generally. I had a similar phobia of fire alarms when I was younger, due to my Autism and an extreme sensitivity to loud noises. Nowadays, even the mention of anything related to them (like when people came in to do a fire safety inspection at my local grocery store while I was on register and I heard them say it) causes a micro panic attack within me. Even though the people who came to inspect the store didn’t actually test the alarms (they just checked the extinguishers and made sure they were up to code, but not the alarms), I still felt a sudden rush of fear within me and I tried hard to hide it while I continued to cash out customers. But if I have control over when they sound (such as when I’m watching videos of them here on KZbin), I’m perfectly fine. It’s when it happens outside of my control that scares me. And advance warning only makes it worse, because then I know it’s coming, and the panic starts to build ahead of time.

[@alexandersalarms5380]

@@mbcommandnerd My middle school had the loudest fire alarms ever. It was absolutely horrid, I understand the feels

[@mbcommandnerd]

@@alexandersalarms5380 My middle and high schools had a combination of horn/strobes that I don’t know the brand of and EST Genesis alarms. Luckily, about 75% percent of the school used those unknown horn/strobes (they could have been Wheelock, but I’m not sure), and they were much quieter to my ears and easier to listen to. It was when I happened to be in that other 25% of the school that I had issues, because the Genesis alarms were FREAKING LOUD! And in my middle school, they had Genesis disc-shaped alarms on the ceiling too, so that just made it even _worse_ to be in those hallways.

[@alexandersalarms5380]

@@mbcommandnerd My elementary school and both of the high schools I went to (I transfered) Have voice evac and are mostly quiet and thankfully not too bad and annoying,.

[@varshac33]

thank you for this video!! I can now explore more sounds of these fire alarms

[@CivilDefenseSoutherner]

My school has the SpectrAlert Advances. Many students there are definitely opposed to the sound of them and I honestly don’t blame them for that because the Advance was already notorious for being loud. Technically my school is generally for kids with learning disabilities. And to be fair the fire alarm technician who inspects the school’s alarm system is aware of the SpectrAlert Advance and their reputation.

[@fernandolomas6635]

When I was in Preschool we had one of those in the classroom (yes, the horn strobe). I was so traumatized by that thing, and it took me years to get over it. I would shudder whenever I would even walk past a fire alarm on a normal day.

[@pakboimsal8498]

My Elementary school has Spectralert Advances in almost every room and I had and still have a Fire alarm phobia because I have ADHD [I live in Chicago btw] and at my High school has mostly has Simplex devices (the majority being strobe only Truealerts attached to a separate horn in the hallways and the classrooms had the strobe only version of the Truealerts) however there's only 1 Spectralert L series and only 1 Edward Integrity and both of them are in hallways on the Northwest and Southeast corners of the building respectively.

[@ABCEasyas--]

I’d think the school would swap out the alarms with speaker strobes of the less harsh horns if many kids with special needs are frightened of the Advance.

[@sodas_301LisT]

@@fernandolomas6635I really don’t know the chances, but same

[@wolfhard5758]

Its all fun and games when the alarm is playing until you pause it but its still playing..

[@contentdeleted286]

My school has the NS and I was in the gym when it went off onetime I litrally almost lost my hearing lol

[@ZacharyAllenReynolds]

Part 2 with more alarms please

[@ChakvetadzeGiorgi]

in my gym, there was an Edwards 895, Genesis, and Integrity (most Integrity strobes were broken)

[@melinajohnson_]

I never would've guessed that the NS is louder than the Advance. I personally find the NS to not be loud at all but the Advances to be really loud (even though the ones on my collection testing board are set on low volume). It's crazy how different people's hearing vary and the decibel system works!

[@joezegers]

I have an NS in my dorm hall in college and it scares me

[@michaelgrahamwongacutemadness]

in the video it is by a long shot even though the as isn't that different on paper

[@Alwaysdoinit112]

Weird, my Advance is louder than my Wheelock NH. Which is literally an NS horn only.

[@Reaktron88]

The NS that I am right under in my classroom is not loud at all, but the one in the hall way is 1000x louder for some reason

[@fr33d0m_t0w3r]

My school fire alarm is the est genesis. Every time there’s a fire drill I get butterflies in my stomach! Edit: ik it’s been 2 years, but this is the exact video that appeared on my recommended one day, and was the video that got me into fire alarms. I can still identify the exact models of each alarm. I still get jumpscared by the est genesis.

[@joezegers]

My high school had a true-alert, my college dorm has an NS.

[@maas1208]

As a person who lives in Chicago, my old Elementry/Middle school had Spectralert Advances and my High school has Simplex Mechanical Horns, Remote Strobe TrueAlerts (I think a Horn Strobe TrueAlert in the main office), 4903s, and 1 Spectralert L-series and 1 Gray Edwards Intergrity Amber Horn Strobe as a CO alarm.

[@NewEnglandElevators]

I never guessed the NS would be LOUDER than the Advance by 6.3db, probably because the horn's pitch was a bit deeper. I agree what you had mentioned about everyone's perception of hearing, probably because the Advance has the most shrill sound in my opinion is why it seems the loudest. I've noticed that mechanical horns such as the Simplex 9838 you had tested here seem quieter to me...to my ears, the mechanical horns are a bit deeper in pitch compared to the piezo-based devices, but find it interesting it was pretty close in terms of the decibel rating it emits. For sure, I would have thought the bell would have been the loudest of the bunch, that's surprising it was the quietest out of the bunch. Great video!

[@SirensAndAlarmsOfNorthernIL]

You can hear higher pitches better than lower pitches. Like I can hear my 105dB MT very clearly over my 120dB 7002T and the MT seems like it is louder, but but the 7002T is louder and more painful

[@idkanymore9590]

Wow I always thought the spectralert advance and simplex truealert were the loudest because I had those the most in any school I’ve went to.

[@filmer765]

I never expected the NS to produce more decibels than the AS.

[@idkanymore9590]

Omg same bro I thought the as is louder

[@AadiPendse]

Same. The AS sounds louder due to its higher pitch.

[@SISKCERTWaJaVlogs]

so therefore i conclude the ns is extreme earrape

[@SISKCERTWaJaVlogs]

The ns is a firealarm that i dont see in many places

[@missbleach8767]

@@SISKCERTWaJaVlogs I have fleas and cooties

[@rock-afire-fan]

frequency modulated Alarms that have a modulation frequency of 100-120hz like the truealert or 4903-9236 have more perceived loudness because of the stress inducing quality of the sound. Even though the DB rating is lower, it could be percieved as louder

[@Brookie_Cookie75]

The circled one sounds like a school bell

[@BlueThunderboltsiren]

1:49 I knew I wasnt trippin. I was in a building with True Alerts, and they weren't even loud to me. I was scarred by spectralert advances when I was in kindergarten, and I always thought they were the loudest fire alarms out there, and I kept getting told that the true alerts were louder than the advances. They weren't too far off, but the advance still ends up beating the True alert. I'm not afraid of the advances anymore as an adult, and they sound cool when they echo in sync together, but it's the jump scare I haven't mentally prepared myself for, lol

[@DiscordC]

this is a botched test you have the phones mic pointed at the floor into the carpet instead of directly at the alarms, becuase of that these are NOT accurate readings.

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

The iPhone has more than one microphone and even following your logic every device was tested under the same conditions so the comparisons are technically accurate. This isn’t meant to be a legitimate lab experiment or whatever you think it is..it’s just for fun

[@Alarmo05221]

I wonder how a NS would compare to a National Time or a 4030

[@sabellcarstens6896]

1:33 I have a horn strobe in my bedroom (A true alert)

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

Cool

[@junkfoodjunkiewassup]

I personally like the last one best. I wish my condo had those instead of the ones we have - not sure which one it is but it kind of sounds like the Genesis and looks like the NS.

[@omeryaghma8896]

Those alarm's are really cool my sister has those kind of fire alarm's

[@matthewantonucci6751]

Simplex 9806B2 and Simplex 9219!

[@razvandobos9759]

I’ve always thought the Gentex Commander 3 on code 3 horn was the loudest to me. My school uses them, and I’ve cried when we had fire drills.

[@CivilDefenseSoutherner]

Same dude-Gentex Commander 3s from my former elementary school, formerly had fire alarm phobia as a young kid because I have ASD, and I’ve categorized the Commander 3 horn tones as loud and startling! …but now I collect fire alarms! 😃

[@ThatOneExoRailfan]

I should put a decibal meter with my 7002t because its like so quiet lol

[@yelissfirealarms9704]

What is the thing that you use to connect the fire alarms

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

Wire….

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

what do you expect me to answer

[@jamescrown238]

My middle school had the weirdest system. We had a mircom panel ( don’t remember which one) spectralert low frequency sounders, spectralert classics, wheelock mt’s, and gentex commander 3’s. I remember hating drill day because where I was in the building had the mt’s on continuous. My school now just has gentex commander 3’s ( boring).

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

Interesting

[@pakboimsal8498]

​@@FireAlarmDude5967 My Elementary school has Spectralert Advances in almost every room and I had and still have a Fire alarm phobia because I have ADHD [I live in Chicago btw] and at my High school has mostly has Simplex devices (the majority being strobe only Truealerts attached to a separate horn in the hallways and the classrooms had the strobe only version of the Truealerts) however there's only 1 Spectralert L series and only 1 Edward Integrity and both of them are in hallways on the Northwest and Southeast corners of the building respectively.

The second fire alarm is same as my schools

[@IceLovezMusic]

I have 7 AS's, 3 TrueAlerts, and 3 horns at my school. (AS's and TrueAlerts are set on code 3, and horns are on continuous)

[@Dranfusion]

I wonder how many decibles the 4051, Commander 3, MT, UMMT, Spectralert Classic and the rest make.

[@tamekicatorres6851]

The boy alarm at my school: *AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA* girls bathroom alarm:*a a a a a a a a *

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

Haha

[@FOSK-lc9op]

1:16 I have EST Genesis horn strobes and speaker strobes in my high school

[@MatthewKelley1206]

the grocery store I work at has red wall mount and white ceiling mount Wheelock AS’s, and red wall mount Wheelock RSS’s

[@iashbanen5320]

The one that got 103 is in my school in classrooms hallways.

[@pakboimsal8498]

My Elementary school has Spectralert Advances in almost every room and I had and still have a Fire alarm phobia because I have ADHD [I live in Chicago btw] and at my High school has mostly has Simplex devices (the majority being strobe only Truealerts attached to a separate horn in the hallways and the classrooms had the strobe only version of the Truealerts) however there's only 1 Spectralert L series and only 1 Edward Integrity and both of them are in hallways on the Northwest and Southeast corners of the building respectively.

[@minneeagle]

Seems like the newer Spectr is slightly quieter.

[@californiafiredepartmentvideos]

My classroom has a Wheelock AS without the strobe

[@lavarockyanimations9563]

I think that’s called the AH a remote horn version of the AS

[@californiafiredepartmentvideos]

@@lavarockyanimations9563 oh thanks!

[@J19_vlogger74]

What model is your TrueAlert? I've bought many and none of them work from batteries.

[@fireguyif74]

you mightve gotten smartsync truealerts

[@catsgame9282]

Wow I thought the simplex true alert is the loudest can you try Wheelock 7002t

[@J19_vlogger74]

So ear protection is a must if you want to keep your hearing from being ruined

[@SimplyIvyPlayz]

Fire alarm goes off: him speaking... *fire alarm flashes again while not making any noise while he's talking*

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

Your comment makes no sense

[@SimplyIvyPlayz]

@@FireAlarmDude5967 srry my little cousin was on my acc and she wrote it

[@maiyo8518]

Actually there are some bell louder than the wheelock NS which is the Edwards integrity bell/strobe

[@QuakeDatCakeWide]

Bro Is Not Laughing Bro Just Turned Into A School Fire Alarm💀

[@Reaktron88]

The lower pitched the alarm the DB will get a higher result, but high pitched sounds will sound louder to your ears.

[@2003AcuraTL]

I had those wheel locks in my school I remember I would jump out of my seat, it startled me all the time twice as much

[@Redbird45]

My school has a Simplex system that has a 4200 ES panel with Trualerts and I’m gonna say that those are pretty freaking loud

[@johndeerefan725]

I wonder how a Siemens U-MHU-MCS or U-MMT could compare to these.

[@boredreindeer5602]

At my elementary school, I discovered that there was a old simplex speaker in the music room, the rest of the school was just spectralert classics, there are a few wheelock miz’s at my junior high

[@missbleach8767]

🦛

[@boredreindeer5602]

Also my Junior high school had Edwards integrity’s

[@pakboimsal8498]

My Elementary school has Spectralert Advances in almost every room and I had and still have a Fire alarm phobia because I have ADHD [I live in Chicago btw] and at my High school has mostly has Simplex devices (the majority being strobe only Truealerts attached to a separate horn in the hallways and the classrooms had the strobe only version of the Truealerts) however there's only 1 Spectralert L series and only 1 Edward Integrity and both of them are in hallways on the Northwest and Southeast corners of the building respectively.

[@boredreindeer5602]

@@pakboimsal8498 I have fire alarm phobia as well, my school portables have advances of the most part and some of them have classics. Main building has a mixture of different old horns (set to continuous) as well as SpectrAlert horns (set to code 3), and the annex has simplex horn strobes that are also continuous. I do have an unlisted video the main building ones going off if you would like to see that.

[@boredreindeer5602]

Also forgot to mention that the wheelock miz’s at the junior high school don’t work

[@FireAlarm33]

This was a Really Cool Demonstration. Nice video!

[@missbleach8767]

🔥 🚨

[@ashtenadams4738]

In elementary school I had true alerts and 2901-9838’s still hate them to this day. That sparked my fear of fire drills.

[@pakboimsal8498]

My Elementary school has Spectralert Advances in almost every room and I had and still have a Fire alarm phobia because I have ADHD [I live in Chicago btw] and at my High school has mostly has Simplex devices (the majority being strobe only Truealerts attached to a separate horn in the hallways and the classrooms had the strobe only version of the Truealerts) however there's only 1 Spectralert L series and only 1 Edward Integrity and both of them are in hallways on the Northwest and Southeast corners of the building respectively.

[@Bus293Fan]

Now I know that the whew lock exceder is the loudest instead of the true alert. I had them at my old elementary school

[@alexandersalarms5380]

???

[@Bus293Fan]

@@alexandersalarms5380 I had wheelock NS at my old elementary school

[@alexandersalarms5380]

@@Bus293Fan ok I had voice evac est genesis

[@pakboimsal8498]

​@@alexandersalarms5380 My Elementary school has Spectralert Advances in almost every room and I had and still have a Fire alarm phobia because I have ADHD [I live in Chicago btw] and at my High school has mostly has Simplex devices (the majority being strobe only Truealerts attached to a separate horn in the hallways and the classrooms had the strobe only version of the Truealerts) however there's only 1 Spectralert L series and only 1 Edward Integrity and both of them are in hallways on the Northwest and Southeast corners of the building respectively.

[@alexandersalarms5380]

@@pakboimsal8498 Yea those alarms are loud af , no joke on high vol. My middle school had genesis horn strobes which were SO LOUD.

[@nics-systems-electric]

Cool video I would like to see an Edwards mb10-24 they are quite loud

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

If I only I had more bells

[@Sean63_HD]

that wheelock as, decibels are 102.1 but to me it feels like 108

[@sistersince77]

That is very nice 👍 i like it cool 😎 it’s the best thing I’ve ever seen

[@creelaa]

1:01 is the fire drill at my school

[@bokon157]

Same

[@peanutmwo6001]

both my elementary and High School have the Wheelock NS and AS and i had no idea they were that loud, as someone with ADHD and Asperger Syndrome, both were a pain in the behind because, quite honestly, they are still the same shrilling tone that i hate. Who knew that one day i would grow to be interested in them now... EDIT: i also had an extreme fear of loud and sudden noises back then too, so they would freak me out every time, until i started timing them and actually got to press the control panel myself a few times in middle and high school

[@idkanymore9590]

What about that spectralert classic I saw at the beginning and the end of the video? How loud is it?

[@jaybird2000]

Probably 75 Db. My high school had those, and they weren't loud at all.

[@idkanymore9590]

@@jaybird2000 damn really? That’s kinda low for a horn strobe. I was expecting it to be around 85, specially on high volume.

[@jaybird2000]

@@idkanymore9590 Maybe 85. I just remember it not hurting my ears at all.

[@idkanymore9590]

@@jaybird2000 oh ok lol. It’s different for everyone ig. I have more sensitive hearing, so it might seem a little louder to me. I wouldn’t know because I haven’t experienced it, but I was curious to see what other people think.

[@Bru1sedhe4rtss]

I have the system sensor L series in my junior high and i kind of find it loud!

[@proneczarniecki2833]

Love the fire bells

[@mattdaddy_888]

Compare them to old school vibratone horns like the Simplex or IBM 4030 or Simplex 4050 it would crush the modern day alarms lol. That's what I wanna see next. Good luck powering it they require weird AC voltages to power them. I believe the 4030 uses 12VAC and the 4050 uses 24VAC.

[@michaelgrahamwongacutemadness]

I thought both usually came in 120

[@Talksensible]

Its only scary when you are in the school bathroom and it goes off

[@leannepetty1683]

My school has a ton of wheelock NS alarms

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

Cool

[@erikthepirate8068]

That would scare them and jump like a kangaroo!

[@danielberryman8460]

Spectralert Advance Dies [When It Cuts Off] [And TrueAlert]

[@aayanbaig4775]

My building has a genesis and its SUPER loud because the corridors echo so much

[@EYL8902]

I didn't knew that the AS and NS would be louder. Can you try a Wheelock Exceder horn strobe, for comparisons?

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

They’re the same horn as the NS

[@AadiPendse]

@@FireAlarmDude5967 In that case, is the MT on the Horn tone as loud as the AS?

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

I’d assume so

[@alexandersalarms5380]

@@AadiPendse yes I can confirm that is true

[@a.r.aproductions1569]

It’s between the Advance, Ummt, AS (1st gen), or EHS-DL1

[@ctek4life]

Can you just test these by hooking them up to 24vdc?

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

Yeah

[@ctek4life]

@@FireAlarmDude5967 Does a 1A power supply work, or are you using a bigger power supply. I looked at the data sheets for the alarms, but it wasn't clear how many MAX amps or watts they can draw.

[@ctek4life]

Looks like the max draw is less than 500mA, so a 1A power supply should be able to power one of these.

[@TheEASdude0825]

i have the same bell strobe (I think the label on yours is a sticker mines printed on the black cover)

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

Cool

[@ThatOneExoRailfan]

The loudest alarm in my collection is a simplex 2901 AC Horn

[@michaelgrahamwongacutemadness]

huh what’s the full model

[@SirensAndAlarmsOfNorthernIL]

And people say “the advance is so painful in continuous”. My MT can easily reach 112dB at 10 feet on the highest volume, and 105dB on the lowest. My 7002T however, is so loud that it is not only over 120dB at 10 feet, and can get louder depending on the voltage, but it is so loud that I can’t come into my room with it going off with no hearing protection or having to cover my ears. Very comparable to a Thunderbolt 1000T siren when it faces you

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

Good info

[@RJARRRPCGP]

That doesn't surprise me! I experienced very-loud variants of Wheelock 7002Ts in a new installation, when I lived in Rutland, Vermont. 1989-1990? Only some seemed quiet and the strobe on those weren't right. I remember one where the strobe clearly needed to be adjusted to pass regulation, because it was so fast, that it looked like a flutter! I noticed that one when outside, when looking in one of the upstairs windows, one night in 1991, IIRC. In 1992, I saw that the same one was taken down from the wall! It possibly got replaced with an identical model in 1992.

[@maas1208]

As a person who lives in Chicago, my old Elementry/Middle school had Spectralert Advances and my High school has Simplex Mechanical Horns, Remote Strobe TrueAlerts (I think a Horn Strobe TrueAlert in the main office), 4903s, and 1 Spectralert L-series and 1 Gray Edwards Intergrity Amber Horn Strobe as a CO alarm.

[@austinwulf4136]

The NS ALARM IS THE LOUDEST OF ALL

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

It sure is

[@Camporito25]

My school has EST Genesis Horn Strobes.

[@SomeDudeWithAnExitSign]

The loudest alarm I have herd is my 9838.

[@catsgame9282]

there not loud 9846 and 7002t are not loud either

[@ABCEasyas--]

I thought that the Advsnce and Genesis were the loudest

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

I suppose you could think that, however factually that’s not true

[@NyxKemo]

Still they are very loud

[@SleepyPie]

Are speaker strobes even quieter?

[@michaelgrahamwongacutemadness]

Usually

[@aluminumobama]

literally 4 days ago I heard the Wheelock AS at my high school; I thought it would exceed the NS since it was at a higher pitch. I guess it didn't apparently

[@michaelgrahamwongacutemadness]

Lower pitch carries farther but the as is rated louder db meters can be biased too

[@jzzhang726]

What is the difference between the 4903 9426 and the 4903 9427

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

Candela ratings

[@jzzhang726]

@@FireAlarmDude5967 ohhh now I get it

[@joeycaridi3030]

Today's fire alarms are supposed to be loud from 75 dB to 100 dB @ 10 feet. The time it takes until hearing damage happens from a fire alarm at 100 dB @ at 10 feet is 15 minutes. If you're underneath or very close to the fire alarm then the time it takes until hearing damage happens is 85 seconds or 1 minute and 25 seconds where the loudness is 110 dB It usually takes less than 3 or 5 minutes to evacuate a building as long as you're following the exit signs which means you saved 12 or 10 minutes (80% or 66.67%) of your hearing from 15 minutes before hearing damage when listening to fire alarms at 100 dB @ 10 feet away, but however it will take less than 15 minutes if you're 10 feet or closer to the fire alarm. So it's better to play safe than sorry to just evacuate the building by walking almost in the middle of the room, and following the exit signs to make sure you don't come out of the building with damaged hearing If a fire alarm is really close to an exit door then don't worry you won't loose your hearing when you're outside because you'll be out very quick and also I tested it at my middle school during a fire drill on Thursday October 24th 2019 at 2 PM and I walked out of the exit door with the fire alarm really close to the exit door and I didn't come out with damaged hearing

[@f1fan112]

I think the "shrillness" of the System Sensors are why they are perceived as the loudest. I'd be interested to see how the Gentex Commander's would place in this...

[@FunDudeGirl]

One of the loudest alarms I ever heard is the Simplex 4040.

[@LoyalmoonieProductions]

I'm surprised nobody thought of the Siemens U-MMT or the U-MHU... I once got an ear bleed in school from those...

[@michaelgrahamwongacutemadness]

I think they’re probably as loud as the Genesis or quieter I find the ns mt and spectralert advance to be deafening

[@Reese-Tube]

I’ve heard three fire alarms at once, I now wonder how many dbs I was listening to. xD

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

You’re probably okay. It’s just prolonged exposure to alarms that’s concerning

[@FireAlarmsofNortheastKansas]

It would be as loud as the loudest alarm that was sounding.

[@Reese-Tube]

I did it a few days ago and I was literally shaking because of how bad it scared me. xD

[@Reese-Tube]

Yeah, I was closer than 10 feet, so I was probably listening to over 100db. xD