[cactus_farmer]

This applies only to open headphones, of course.

Apparently, this is the recommended listening level according to some guidelines I got with a headphone amp.

But music doesn't seem exciting enough for me at this level, so I crank it up a bit higher.

Is this damaging my 'phones?

And do you normally listen at levels low enough for you to easily hold a conversation without shouting?

 

[Oggranak]

I find that listening at a level where I can easily hold a conversation, while good for my ears, doesn't sound at all engaging or real. In school, I listen to it loud enough that I would have to really struggle to have a conversation, however, my home listening levels may be low enough to be able to talk to someone.

 

[cegras]

My listening level is low enough that any sort of noise is distracting, especially the exhaust fans in kitchens, TV, and any sort of spoken word directed at me.

 

[tintin47]

Not easily, but sort of. I listen at a level where I can hear clearly that people are speaking but the singers voice is usually at a volume that interferes with my comprehension.

 

[Ishcabible]

I can easily converse with my KSC75s, but I turn it off anyways.

 

[Acix]

My conversation can get inspired by electronic music that I like...minimal / ambient / downtempo.

 

[Andrew Jones]

Using a sound level meter I have the volume at around 70 - 74 dB, this is too loud to hold a conversation easily, I can hear that people are talking and if they're close enough I can make out what they say, but it's an effort. At this volume background noises are a distraction (including the laptop fan on quiet pieces), but much less clearly heard than the music.

BTW, I'd be more worried about damaging my hearing that my headphones - they can easily tolerate sound levels which will damage hearing.

 

[BBF3]

Oh god no, not even close.

I'm fairly certain I listen at unsafe volumes.

 

[Dat_Dude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BBF3 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Oh god no, not even close. I'm fairly certain I listen at unsafe volumes.

Yup, right there with ya!

 

[chews89]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cactus_farmer /img/forum/go_quote.gif But music doesn't seem exciting enough for me at this level, so I crank it up a bit higher. Is this damaging my 'phones?

Shouldn't you be more worried about damaging your ears?

 

[Calexico]

I can easily hold a conversation. The music shifts to the background if someone is talking to me.

 

[tintin47]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cactus_farmer /img/forum/go_quote.gif This applies only to open headphones, of course. Apparently, this is the recommended listening level according to some guidelines I got with a headphone amp. But music doesn't seem exciting enough for me at this level, so I crank it up a bit higher. Is this damaging my 'phones? And do you normally listen at levels low enough for you to easily hold a conversation without shouting?

The conversation recommendation is simply a good guideline. If you can have a conversation, there is no way that the music is too loud. You can listen up to about 80-85 dB for more than an hour before risking any part of your hearing, far louder than a conversation (only about 60 dB).

Also, there is no way in hell that you will damage your phones before the music physically hurts your ears and makes you take the phones off.

I turn my amp up until the phones start sounding "right" to my ears. This is highly subjective, but in my experience that line for me is about 80dB average, a fine volume.

 

[obobskivich]

I can't really have a conversation with my hp's on (they isolate quite a bit), but on open hp's I listen at about the same volume, and easily can (and have) carried a conversation while listening

 

[cyberidd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ishcabible /img/forum/go_quote.gif I can easily converse with my KSC75s, but I turn it off anyways.

x2

 

[ADD]

I don't have any open headphones but I think I would struggle to have a conversation when listening to music with my noise cancelling PXC300.

My absolute peak listening levels ("A" weighted) with classical music are around 70dB for chamber music and about 80 dB for orchestral. These are the absolute measured peaks - 99% of the program material would be significantly below these levels (usually in the 60s or low 70s).

I don't think anyone is "saving" their hearing by using the conversation yardstick, since even the very conservative WHO organisation concluded (after lengthy research) that continuous 24 hours a day of exposure to 70 dB (double the volume level of a conversation) is the threshold of hearing loss.

So if you are paranoid it is a good yardstick to follow, but otherwise it is also a good way of making a lot of styles of music less enjoyable imho.

WHO Guidelines for Community Noise - 4. Guideline Values

Incidentaly, WHO have specific measurements for headphone users too - 85dB for one hour per day with maximum peaks to 110 dB!! And that is way, way higher than both my normal listening and my tolerance levels.

So this conversation business - it's just bulldust, but it is probably what I would advise to people who did not seem able to moderate their overall daily noise exposure or who had no means of actually measuring it.