Bass Boxing is a format designed to bring musicality back to SPL competition. In Bass Boxing, competitors face off against each other in an elimination format in the first round; the competitors with the top two SPL scores will move on to the subsequent rounds. In this format, only approved CDs can be used in Bass Boxing and competitors are allowed to play musical tracks only, no test tones or sine sweeps.

In the first round, the competitor plays a musical track of the Judge’s choice, typically the Bass Boxing track on the IdBL “Max dB2” CD, track #3. The track is played for 60 seconds and using the IASCA AC 3056 RTA/SPL meter, the highest average decibel level achieved during that time is recorded.

In the following rounds, the two Bass Boxing Finalists have the choice to play any musical track they choose to from the approved CDs and put on a “show” to entertain the audience. They will play their selection for 30 seconds and the Judge/s will record their average SPL score for that time frame. The Finalists will then continue to “duke it out” until one competitor cannot outperform the other (beat the other’s SPL score) or four rounds, whichever comes first. If both competitors remain tied after the fourth round, the spectators will determine the winner by cheering for the competitor’s show that they liked best. At that point, the Judge/s will measure the peak SPL generated by the spectators’ response to determine the winner.

Bass Boxing Divisions

FLYWEIGHT DIVISION - 1 to 160 sq. in (No walls)

FEATHERWEIGHT DIVISION - 161 to 260 sq. in (No walls)

LIGHTWEIGHT DIVISION - 261+ sq. in. (No walls)

MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISION - 1-720 sq. in. (with a wall, plus additional criteria)

HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION - 721+ sq. in. (with a wall, plus additional criteria)