[HFat]

... and maybe you'll be surprised by how low the readings are. I feel more comfortable turning up the volume now.

Do it people!

 

[maoci]

Once I've heard that "When it's too loud, you are too old." So if I will come deaf after time I shouldn't become old, because it will never be loud enough. Am I right?

Btw, how do you know when it's 90+ db. What does produce the sound of such level?

 

[Advil]

"YOU PEOPLE"?????

 

[nothing101]

at the moment im listening so quietly that i cant hear most of the music.

My 501s are being used unamped through my laptop at virtually 0 volume. Its not really like music. more like noise to keep me company while everyone else sleeps.

Usually i listen as loud as the music asks for. Rock is loud, new age is moderately quiet, acoustic guitar is medium and so on.

i think the 501s need tubes or they will sound weak and sreechy. dont know why im listening unamped

 

[Fitz]

Moderate to quiet volumes. Rarely do I actually go loud anymore, and usually gradually turn the volume down the longer I've been listening. I went so far as to make some design changes to my headphones to sound more balanced and clearer at lower volume levels.

Occasionally I'll turn it up louder for a single song, but then turn it back down after it's over.

 

[Rob80b]

I guess I’m also one of those listeners who only listen at what I perceive is the original sound level +or-, putting a live band in your living room be it classical or pop (well not quite).
Otherwise I’ll only listen to the clock radio in the back round, which is not really listening.
Trying to be an audiophile, for some of us, is the pursuit of recreating the original signal with as little distortion as possible at the end of the chain, impossible for now but maybe someday.
I appreciate those who can enjoy music at lower volumes, there will be less distortion, but for me the visceral impact or the sense of being there is also important.
But remember if you plan to stay for extended hours under the sun expect to get burned.

 

[jules650]

I used to turn it up really high until I got tinnitus and that scared the hell out of me. I value my hearing too much and I prefer to hear detail rather than volume and I don't want to lose my high frequency hearing prematurely. I'd say I listen to moderate to moderately high levels most of the time, depending on the music.

 

[mitra]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vYu223 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I listen to my iM716's on my 4g iPod at 40% volume and my KSC-75's at 30% volume. My maximum volume level would be 50% (but rarely) on the iPod with my iM716's, and 40% with my KSC-75's.

really? i think i have my 4h ipod on roughly 60% all the time. sometimes u pto 80% like on the bus on the highway.. I have european model though so there is volume limit(like som eu rule), so might be different from american one if that is what you have..

an using mdr-e888, had it on constatn 75-80% with the normal ipod phones and almost max when on the highway.

 

[breseler]

You only get one pair of ears so treat them gently. Listen as low as you can, as opposed to as high as you can go.

 

[neilvg]

The way I look at it, the better your system, the lower the volume you will be able to listen to it at w/out the need to feel like you want to turn it up.

Systems which are not balanced and musical have certain frequencies which usually get to us, whether it be the midrange or the sibilance, or really muddy bass... we're looking for a certain feeling, an impact... certain frequencies we want louder. I noticed this in car audio especially, since some of the desired musicality gets lost with all the road noise and poor car audio speakers/sound reproduction in general. So people tend to turn it up to solve this.

This of course can lead to certain elements fatiguing and eventually damaging our hearing (they are louder and more harsh then they should be, but the volume level feels right). Anyway, I used to always listen quite loudly until I figured out how to get my system to be Euphonic and Very Resolving. Now lower volumes suck me in and I don't feel a lack of absorbtion at these levels.

Neil

 

[Brat_Boy]

I don't listen too loud. Loud enough to be enveloped in the music, but not so much that I can't hear someone talking loudly to me (although can't make out words). I turn it up to 14-16 on my Zen Micro in quiet places, 18 in somewhat loud places, and 20-22 on the bus (out of 25). Damn that engine and those screaming kids...

 

[Technex]

I listen quite quiet. But I never really had a good pair of phones... Might change soon ;D!

 

[Konig]

can some1 recommend me a place to buy noise level detectors? i need to check if the vol of my O2 is safe.

 

[matt fury]

I don't feel like I'm really having fun and enjoying the music unless it's loud. Probably too loud. To me the music just doesn't "wake-up" until it's at a certain volume. This might be something I can fix with my gear, I think, but I dunno.

 

[Technex]

Anyway. About this dB limit thing. I'm pretty sure that some peoples ears, that have got used to loud music would still be fine.