[Mindless]

Well, as the threads name? what do you think is best, and what do you think sounds best?

I concider my self as an audiophile wich has quite good taste for both music and headphones, and of course, how high I crank the volume on my cans. Many classmates of mine (more like all) has gotten themselves MP3 players. And of course I have to butt in and tell them that these things you have bought aren't very good, in fact, they are just frauds, screwing you on large ammounts of money for poor build quality and sound. And they just think im strange, and say the will do just fine as long as I get the worst headache imaginable. Most of my classmates listen to rediculus levels, almost so high that the bench mate (me for example) gets a headache myself. Don't you think this is wierd? I was with my computer at a frineds house and played some games last weekend and he tried my HD600's and of course as all friends that have tried them, went "wow!", but then comes the inhumane listening levels, ones he had heard a song I took them back and I heard how high the volume was, instantly I had pain in my ears, and told him "Is this normal volume for you?" he just nodded at me. And I just went

and gave him a strange look and told him that listening to that for 30 mins will give you permanent hearing damages. After that I told him what was normal levels and he went "Haha, I cant hear anything", "Well, thats understandable......" I told him.

Well, has anyone of you guys had similar experiences? If so, speak up

EDIT : I think music sounds best on a bit higher volume with classical, and not low nor high with rock and such.

 

[d3ft]

Sure have. All of my friends listen to music at insanely loud volumes. The other day I could clearly hear the leakage from a pair of headphones worn by someone sitting at the front of my bus while I was down the back! You have to wonder what these people are thinking.

Ideally, you want music loud enough so that you can clearly hear the entire frequency. That's my opinion anyway.

 

[Duncan]

Using my cans whilst sat using my computer means that the volume has to be that much higher to alleviate the constrant thrum of the fans...

Other than that, I have moments when I like things calm, and relaxed, and other times when I get a bit excessive with the volume...

Still the funniest (or scareiest, depending on your outlook) time for me, was listening to the Senn HD565 (iirc) at such a volume that my parents could hear them through two closed doors, and down a staircase... loud

 

[Snake]

To me, a humane volume is one in which you can listen for hours (and more hours if need be) without a feeling of ear strain, pressure or fatigue. If you feel that after listening for a while I think it is your brain and ear trying to compensate for the exposure to excessive levels. So start off lower than you think, after a while your ears become accustomed to that, and raise very, very slowly. You'll find a spot that works, without any fatigue, just for you.

 

[fredpb]

You gotta really watch out with your hearing, especially with headphones.

Different music requires different volume.

Your ears can get accustomed to volumes, like with bass, and sometimes you boost volume to compensate....BAD.

Different freqs can have bad effects on your ears...do more damage than other freqs. I found Highs the most irritating.

Different people have different hearing.

When I start listening to headphones, I start with very low volume, then boost the volume slowly. You can get good sound with lower volumes, if you do it this way.

Also, your ears' sensitivity varies with volume. You will hear highs and lows less at lower volumes. Hence the "loudness" controls on much (usually cheaper consumer) equipment.

Take care of your ears. Even little things like keeping the telephone handset away from your ear when you dial... don't cram the earpiece to your ear and push the dial buttons and cram those notes into your ear.

Be cautious with your hearing. Once the damage is done, it is done for LIFE.

 

[Oddball]

I always listen at the lowest volume, no matter what. Sometimes I listen at 25%, but not really loud. I sometimes think that the 1st volume level on my NJB3 through my Shure e2s are too loud. Maybe I'm a little too sensitive. It makes me nervous whenever I pass one of my classmates in the hallway listening to really loud levels, I wince. They're going to be deaf. When I tell them they're listening too loud, they ignore me. I don't get it.

 

[The_Mac]

I wear grados, and the best way I can describe the level I listen at is this:

If a 5/10 is where I can clearly hear a conversation beside me (music going and I can hear clearly) then I normally listen at a 3 or 4. (depending on ambient noise in the house).

 

[MD1032]

I got my Grado SR-80's and my friend got some V6's so I went over to his house for a comparison. I've already created a thread with my rant about how my SR-80's are better and my basshead friend is blind to it (he used bass tests to test them). Anyway, it amazed me the levels at which my friend and my friend's dad (actually his phones) listen at. He was doing yet another EXTREMELY ANALYTICAL

bass test and wanted to show me why the V6's were better and just slapped them on my head right then and there. I literally had a body spasm from the volume being pumped into my head. Don't get me wrong, listening at above-average levels is sometimes fun, but this was many many times the volume I listen at. When he was testing my Grados I could hear as well as he could what he was playing even standing 3 feet from him. I was just praying he wouldn't blow the relatively new drivers out, but I guess Grados are pretty indestructible in that area, because they were fine. The whole time he was pushing them against his head because he wasn't hearing the bloated sledgehammer-against-the-head bass he is accustomed to. The thing is, putting his fingers against the earcups probably bounced some of the waves back, causing cancellation, causing even less bass to come out.

Anyway, yet another rant about my peers' listening levels.

 

[aphex944]

Hahaha MD1032 I have a similar story. My roommate had V6s, and wanted to compare them to my SR-60s. He let me listen to the V6, and I swear the volume level literally vaporized my eardrums. I ripped them off, and asked him how he listened to that volume level.. "Oh, it sounds normal to me." He hooked up my SR-60s, and to my horror, they start distorting horribly.. I yanked them out, and he said "Man, those don't get loud enough, they can't handle the power!"

*sigh* DJs

 

[ArcTeryx]

Get this, there's a girl in one of my classes wearing sony EX51's the other day, I could hear the sound clearly leaking out in the quiet room from about 15 ft away, leaking out of her canal phones...

 

[zachary80]

It seems that nearly everyone I know listens really loud too

I listen from my amp nearly as quiet as it goes (while it sounds the same as higher volumes), which is less than a quarter turn with a gain of 6. At night with just my iPod, it is normally on it's lowest volume level.

 

[DJGeorgeT]

Yes DJing is one of the worse things. I use ER-20's to protect my hearing while djing. It reduces the sound pressure from the booth monitors and allows me to cranck the volume level on my V6 to a decent level. Most djs don't use earplugs and when the monitors are hot, the headphones have to be even hotter. This all leads to deafness.

I wish all djs were educated in the area of hearing protection.

 

[TheMuffinMan_01]

i try to listen at the volume where i can here my voice clearly... i don't know why, but i hope it works...

 

[lan]

I listen to about 75-80db. I just don't like music loud so I'd say 85-90 is too loud for me. For others that maybe fine.

 

[aerius]

So far at the 2 meets I've been to, everyone listens louder than me. I find myself turning down the volume on every single amp before I listen to them. I was rather surprised that "normal" volumes for some people were higher than my "earbleed" volumes. Now, I know that some music does sound a bit better when played louder than my usual listening volume, but after about 15 minutes or so at higher volumes my ears don't feel good, whereas at normal volumes I can listen forever.