SPL - Small Diaphragm vs Large Diaphragm

SPL is Sound Pressure Level.

This is the level of sound which the microphone can handle without distorting the sound or damaging the diaphragm.

The SPL is based on two factors:

• The rigidity of the diaphragm and distance between the diaphragm and the back plate.
• The power level the pre amp sets limits for the amount of signal that can be received by the mic without the signal clipping.

As smaller diaphragms are stiffer, they tend to have a higher SPL as there is a lower chance of the signal distorting/ clipping compared to a larger diaphragm.

                                     (http://www.dpamicrophones.com/da/MikrofonUniversitet/Tech-Guide/Large-Diaphragm.aspx)