[Nick Dangerous]

I bought a Radio Shack analog SPL (sound pressure level) meter for about $30. Great investment. I found that I was listening in the 80-85db range... which is OK for 3-4 hours but not for the 8-12 hour stretches I do at work.

Ideally, the volume should peak at 80db and hover steadily in the 73-78 range for all day listening. That's about the maximum threshold an ear can withstand before becoming damaged over the long term.

Still, there will be those who must ROCK OUT under any circumstances. Loud *is* awesome, but I think the price is too heavy to pay.

Protect your ears, they are very delicate instruments.

If anything, this headphone hobby has made me more aware of sound levels. I now use earplugs when I vaccuum, work with loud tools, etc.

 

[pigmode]

I just picked up a pr. of Ety ER-20s. They are labeled "High Fidelity Ear Plugs" with 12db noise reduction.

 

[gaineso]

MY Radio Shack SPL meter shows average SPL of about 70-72 db at comfortable level. "C" weighted, slow response.

However, I am almost afraid it's still too loud. I get occasional, slight tinitis in my left ear.

HD 600s driven from various sources through a TA.

I've tried very hard for most of my life to protect my hearing, and I think it's still pretty good for someone just slid past 3 score and zip.

If I turn it down anymore, it just seems to low. I don't know. I just want to listen and protect. The tinitis is a little scary though. I guess I'll have to turn it down a little more.

 

[pigmode]

The SPL meter is a neat tool, and I'll definitely get a decent one as soon as this spending spree is over. Nick, you didn't say if your meter was set to C or A.

Same here about awareness. When I started using HPs heavily, I noticed the vol. had to always be turned down a couple of times at the beginning of a session. This led to a more careful monitoring of vol. levels, and more conscientious use of hearing protection at work.

 

[Audio-Me]

That's good advice especially for Sennheiser HD600 listeners. I've observed that everyone who's tried out my cans have always cranked up the volume to ear damaging levels yet they don't even realize it.

I normally adjust the volume 10-20db below what the original level of the recording is (85db standard). You can tell that I like lower volumes over loud levels. If you want to know why, lol, just send me a PM and I'll explain.

 

[meithkiller]

Good advice, Nick. I've had a pretty bad case of tinnitus for about five years now. It came on suddenly after an Irish folk/rock concert and never went away, but it was years in coming. I spent a lot of my teen years shooting a .357 magnum and 12 ga shotgun and seldom wore hearing protection. My late teens and early twenties saw me going to a lot of concerts, and several of those left me with temporary tinnitus that went away after a day or three. By mid twenties I started to be more careful, but soon it was too late. I really worry about some of the kids today that blast their stereos, whether at home, through headphones, or in their cars. It will catch up to them.

I've had a rat shack SPL meter for several years, and wear hearing protection frequently, at work, at the movie theater, at concerts, while shooting, etc. I try to keep a pair of the Ety earplugs in all of our cars, in most of my jacket pockets, and a few other places, as I never know when I might be subjected to some high volume noise.

Just try to think about the future of your hearing everytime you put your cans on and want to crank them up. A little less volume now could easily mean more enjoyment later.

-Keith

 

[gaineso]

The SOs been out of town for 3 days now, and I've been using exclusively speakers.

70 to 75 db at the listening position is more than loud enough. The tinnitus is still around, and I seem to be remembering that I noticed it some years ago. I guess it's something that's been coming on and now I'm noticeing it more because of the HD600s.

Also because of the many references to hearing damage on these threads.

I've been aware of the potential for 30-35 years, but a lot of youger people aren't. I saw a special on TV a year or so ago, where they were interviewing youngsters with Boom Box cars and other loud rigs like portable boom boxs wide open on the shoulder.

The consensus was, it won't happen to me and besides, the world is so screwed up we'll all be dead in 10 years. I'll enjoy it today.

I don't know about that, but I do know we've got some great youngsters, don't really want to call them kids although my oldest grandaughter is older than a lot of our members, and they are aware and I think they are taking, and even giving the same advice. Turn it down and still enjoy it when you're 60.

 

[setmenu]

I developed mild tinitus in my right ear about 6 months ago.It
made me very cranky and obsessive about my hearing.
I also mentioned tinitus to lots of people and was surprised that
many when they listened to their ears also reported mild
tinitus in one or more ears .
I understand it is quite a common complaint.

But.. I did notice something that was also interesting[possibly lots
here are aware of?] that may need to be born in mind when
adding ones critique of a particular phone.
Your ears allways ring in sympathy in some way to given sounds.[levels/freguencys]
All of us being different this would certainly colour our perception
of sounds.
If you put on a pair of ear defenders and tap the outside with a
metal implement you should be able to hear the ringing die down,
taking longer the louder the sound.
When I mentioned this to a doctor in the field he said yes it was
a normal phenomenom.

Study the mechanics of of the ear, a strange and stuning instrument.

Setmenu

 

[cajunchrist]

My ears tend to be extremely sensitive to high frequencies. Even at low volumes, when there is a high component of very high frequencies like in the noise music I listen to, I get tinnitus. If I have the option, I'll switch to a darker sounding interconnect to reduce the highs.

 

[setmenu]

My right ear[the one with tinitus] is the most sensitive to HF
easily hearing 20k, the left can still hear 20k but is far less sensitive.
The question is... If the tinitus was brought about by sound
levels,of which I am assuming this is the case,[auditioning cable for the Stax combo could be the culprit]has one ear been sensitized or one ear had it's top end damaged?

It is all too easy to adapt to high volume levels,I think I simply
kept upping the volume just a little more each time when
doing the above cable auditioning too distracted by anylysing the
cable differences/sound to pay heed to the rising levels.
I do did/do not normaly listen at high levels,and now I am Very
carefull especialy when testing my diy phones.

Setmenu

 

[lini]

Btw, do you know the Hifish AC? Info here: http://www.hifish.de/englisch/ac.php3

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

 

[bpm2000]

i have a spl meter, (Ratshack) but how exactly do you position it in your cans to get a correct reading?

 

[Audio-Me]

Lol, I was under the impression we were talking about sound levels of speaker output.

 

[setmenu]

Audio&Me
Too high is too high whatever is making the noise.

 

[Audio-Me]

That's for sure.