Decibel (dB) Converter

Convert between gain in decibels and voltage or power ratio, and find an output voltage from an input and a gain.

Enter either a gain in dB or a voltage ratio (leave the other blank). Add an input voltage to get the output voltage.
Gain
Voltage ratio
Power ratio
Output voltage (from Vin)

Decibels, voltage and power

Gain (dB) = 20 · log₁₀(Vout / Vin) = 10 · log₁₀(Pout / Pin)

Voltage ratio = 10^(dB / 20)  ·  Power ratio = 10^(dB / 10)

A decibel is a logarithmic ratio. Because power is proportional to voltage squared, the same gain in dB corresponds to a voltage ratio and a power ratio that is its square. Handy landmarks: +6 dB ≈ ×2 voltage(×4 power), +20 dB = ×10 voltage (×100 power), and−3 dB ≈ ×0.707 voltage (half power — the filter cutoff point).

A negative dB value is attenuation (ratio below 1); zero dB means the output equals the input.