European Space Agency’s new sound system is so loud that it can kill you

Sure, your stereo may go up to 11 and beyond, but you probably couldn’t murder your listeners with it. The European Space Agency has a bigger budget, however, and its Large European Acoustic Facility has a 36-foot wide by 54-foot high wall of sound designed to simulate the level of noise during a rocket launch. 

One of the most amusing tales within the Hitchhiker’s Guide books is that of the band Disaster Area. This music group is fabulously popular, but its concerts are also regarded as the loudest sound in the galaxy. In fact, the best place to listen to a Disaster Area concert is in a concrete bunker roughly 37 miles from the stage. Now, from the European Space Agency comes a sound system worthy of a real life Disaster Area concert. The sound horns of the Large European Acoustic Facility (LEAF) in the Netherlands would kill you if you ever heard them.