How can you tell you are listening at a safe volume?
Jul 6, 2007 at 8:23 PM Post #31 of 77
i have an idea for closed cans

what if you buy some earplugs with a known db reduction level, put them on with your headphones, and then adjust the volume until you can't hear the music?

would this be an accurate measurement of volume in decibels?
 
Jul 7, 2007 at 1:37 AM Post #32 of 77
Quote:

Originally Posted by flargosa /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I have read that listening at loud volumes can permanently numb your hearing, I have also read that sound above a certain decibel can damage your hearing, but how can a person tell what is safe and what is not?


http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=216939
I posted this a while ago, but it may still prove to be interesting to some.
 
Jul 7, 2007 at 2:10 AM Post #33 of 77
This is a great thread. Now since I have been getting into different cans and amps I wonder how loud I'm listening to them and if I'm damaging my hearing. I'm really thinking about getting an SPL meter now to measure my listening level.
 
Jul 7, 2007 at 2:18 AM Post #34 of 77
when using the Koss ESP.6 or ESP.7, as long as the little lights are not flashing too hard, you are ok
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Jul 7, 2007 at 5:31 AM Post #35 of 77
GotNoRice: I didn't know that dBA and dBC were different! Question: on these charts and others on the internet, the ones saying what level and how long we can listen at, does dBA or dBC measuring affect those times? Is something that's 90 dB measured in dBA safe for 8 hours and measured in dBC safe for more or less hours? Does that make sense? I feel like I'm missing something really obvious, but...oh well! My cheapie SPL meter is in dBC.
 
Jul 7, 2007 at 6:26 AM Post #36 of 77
Quote:

Originally Posted by manhattanproj /img/forum/go_quote.gif
if they packaged ipod with good buds, we wouldn't be having this board and companies like shure, ety will all go out of business.
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They wouldn't go out of business, they'ed be suppling Apple ... , and Apple would be charging more for IPOD's
 
Jul 7, 2007 at 6:47 AM Post #37 of 77
Quote:

Originally Posted by magzcampos /img/forum/go_quote.gif
http://www.aedio.co.jp/new/html/image/safelevels.jpg
dows anyone understand this?


Uh...so what if you only listen to music ~30 minutes or so a day? Then it's not dangerous to listen at ~95 dB?
 
Jul 7, 2007 at 8:45 AM Post #38 of 77
This is a great post that has got me thinking. I listen to my Hornet M with the volume turned up to the very first volume marking (9 o'clock) and this seems plenty loud enough. Does anyone know the approximate db level. I only ask as sometimes even at this very low level i do come away feeling like i have been at a live concert.
 
Jul 7, 2007 at 2:38 PM Post #39 of 77
The easiest way to find out is listening to your music and adjust the volume untill you think it's ok. Then you listen for about half an hour, go away and leave all the settings as they are. Do something quiet like reading a book or sleeping, whatever
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Then return, put on the headphones and press play. Most likely you will want to turn down the volume which means you were listening too loud
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Jul 7, 2007 at 2:51 PM Post #40 of 77
Quote:

Originally Posted by crocandy /img/forum/go_quote.gif
This is a great post that has got me thinking. I listen to my Hornet M with the volume turned up to the very first volume marking (9 o'clock) and this seems plenty loud enough. Does anyone know the approximate db level. I only ask as sometimes even at this very low level i do come away feeling like i have been at a live concert.


this depends on 1) what volume you have set on the source, 2) what rec level the recording has and 3) what model of headphone you are using it with... and then I'm probably even forgetting a bunch of factors.

So no way of knowing this unless there is someone out there with the exact same setup AND an db-meter and using a track you are using as well... so if you really want to know, just invest $50 in a cheap db-meter
 
Jul 7, 2007 at 3:37 PM Post #41 of 77
Ouch, haha the only way i can appreciate the intensity of music is by it drowning out the world.
 
Jul 7, 2007 at 3:49 PM Post #42 of 77
Why spend money on a SPL meter to calculate "sane" listening levels? Just use rule of thumb, just as precise and a whole lot cheaper. If you experience sore ears after a few mintues, I think it's a good idea to lower the volume.
 
Jul 7, 2007 at 4:40 PM Post #43 of 77
Quote:

Originally Posted by Frostychrist /img/forum/go_quote.gif

I read that the Ipod's max volume is at 130db. If you play at half volume that would be 65db.


It doesn't work like that. It's an exponential thing. 104db is actually almost twice as loud as 102db. So 130db would be tens of times louder than 65db, which is pretty quiet. Conversation level. As I sit here typing this response I have my db meter on and it's reading 60db C weighted. The only thing making noise in the room is a fan in the window.

I think the most effective way to measure at home is to put your DB meter right into your phones driver after you listen to measure. I don't think it's a terribly accurate reading but it shouldn't be that far off. What else can you do?
 
Jul 8, 2007 at 2:37 PM Post #45 of 77
Quote:

Originally Posted by Mher6 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Sort of off topic...

To the head-fiers that use a radio shack SPL meter, do you keep the weighting on "A" or "C"?


The instruction booklet which came with mine has the guidance: "Select C-weighting to measure sound levels of musical material", so I use "C".
 
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