[003]

Ok, a little OT. I have trouble enjoying music at 85dB. How can ANYBODY seriously ENJOY music at 65-70dB??? Thats almost the level of a normal conversation!

I have ZERO hearing problems. I can hear up to 21KHz, do not have tinnitus and the volumes are the same in each ear at all frequencies.

 

[MaZa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 003 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ok, a little OT. I have trouble enjoying music at 85dB. How can ANYBODY seriously ENJOY music at 65-70dB??? Thats almost the level of a normal conversation! I have ZERO hearing problems. I can hear up to 21KHz, do not have tinnitus and the volumes are the same in each ear at all frequencies.

If you have been listening to music that loud, of course 75db and lower feels weak. But you can rehabit your ears. Force yourself to listen the music for about 60db for few days, and then turn up to 75db. Most likely your first feeling is: Wow, this is loud!

 

[GlendaleViper]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 003 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ok, a little OT. I have trouble enjoying music at 85dB. How can ANYBODY seriously ENJOY music at 65-70dB??? Thats almost the level of a normal conversation! I have ZERO hearing problems. I can hear up to 21KHz, do not have tinnitus and the volumes are the same in each ear at all frequencies.

I understand where you're coming from, 003, but keep in mind everyone hears differently. The standard of 80-85dB for safe operation is a blanket estimate for the general public. Perhaps you are just lucky?

At any rate, there's no denying the excitement of a recording played at "live" volumes, but for most of us, it's just not reasonable. I happen to listen at very low volumes for the most part and, as Maza mentioned, a lot of it has to do with training your ears at those levels.

I listen a lot before bed, as an example. With no light and no distractions, I can listen at very near ZERO volume and enjoy myself considerably. Because all of my focus is on the music, it seems much "louder" although I attribute this to concentration allowing for absorption of the details.

I'm curious as to how often you sit back and JUST listen - no light, no distractions. It's amazing how much the enviroment you listen in can affect perceived volume.

 

[Thelonious Monk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GlendaleViper /img/forum/go_quote.gif I listen a lot before bed, as an example. With no light and no distractions, I can listen at very near ZERO volume and enjoy myself considerably. Because all of my focus is on the music, it seems much "louder" although I attribute this to concentration allowing for absorption of the details. I'm curious as to how often you sit back and JUST listen - no light, no distractions. It's amazing how much the enviroment you listen in can affect perceived volume.

exactly... i listen to my headphones a lot before bed, it needs to be JUST above 0 volume. otherwise i start thinking that i am waking up other people in the house... just adjust your ears.

sadly, all of my hearing loss came from listening to Metallica at ear-splitting volumes, where bass drums would make me blink. my dad told me all about Pete Townshend's "ehh?????" thing due to his hearing loss, but i didn't listen. stupid stupid stupid...

now i duck and cover or run away when i hear really loud noises... paranoia is the only way to keep my ears holy!

 

[kramer5150]

Heres what I do...
Wear foam roll ear plugs all day every day and whenever you do not need to hear things around you... on the train etc.

Do that for a couple weeks, and your hearing will re-calibrate to that ambient level. For a while the loudest thing I was exposed too was my alarm clock.

Now, use your IEMs for music listening, and keep the volume VERY low. You'll be surprised at how low you can set the level too, and still hear every nuance and detail.

I do this every once in a while. Its really cool... its like getting a new amp or source for free.

 

[Inkmo]

man dangit now this has me all paranoid again.
::turns the volume down a few clicks on mp3 player::

Actually, it's been about a year or so since my last hearing test. We get free ones here at the school I'm in. And they're pretty decent. Spondee word tests even.

 

[Davesrose]

Quote:

Originally Posted by robm321 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Not sure but here's a test condition which have only glanced at Combined effect of smoking and occupational exposure to noise on hearing loss in steel factory workers I think it has something to do with the higher blood pressure of smokers... don't ask me beyond that. I just know they did tests and currently the threshold is lower for smokers. By how much I don't know.

That seems like a very questionable study. So they found that in one Japanese factory,male workers who smoke in one Japanese factory had more hearing loss then the rest of the 45% of the other male workers who didn't smoke. All of this was in a noisy factory. They don't indicate any controls in this study....how do we not know that those who had more hearing loss didn't eat enough vegetables?

While I don't smoke and don't intend to pick up the habbit, I would think that I'd still be protecting my hearing if I kept sound levels below 80 db even if I was a smoker.

 

[NtD Gr3nade]

quick question... I listen to my Headroom Micro at 9 o clockish on songs like Just a Lil but (By 50 Cent), and at 10 for songs like Faithfully (Journey) with my HD650s. Is that a safe level? I can here can still here my thumb hitting the space bar while typing this, and its on Faithfully. Thanks.

 

[NtD Gr3nade]

double post...

 

[NtD Gr3nade]

omg, a triple post!

 

[uraflit]

i dont think i've ever seen a triple post b4...

Quote:

kramer5150 Heres what I do... Wear foam roll ear plugs all day every day and whenever you do not need to hear things around you... on the train etc. Do that for a couple weeks, and your hearing will re-calibrate to that ambient level. For a while the loudest thing I was exposed too was my alarm clock. Now, use your IEMs for music listening, and keep the volume VERY low. You'll be surprised at how low you can set the level too, and still hear every nuance and detail. I do this every once in a while. Its really cool... its like getting a new amp or source for free.

wow, sounds neat. i should give it a try.

 

[configure]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kramer5150 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Heres what I do... Wear foam roll ear plugs all day every day and whenever you do not need to hear things around you... on the train etc. Do that for a couple weeks, and your hearing will re-calibrate to that ambient level. For a while the loudest thing I was exposed too was my alarm clock. Now, use your IEMs for music listening, and keep the volume VERY low. You'll be surprised at how low you can set the level too, and still hear every nuance and detail. I do this every once in a while. Its really cool... its like getting a new amp or source for free.

Excellent! A new tactic for those pesky lectures we students are expected to attend

 

[Audiofiler]

This is serious stuff. ..and results as well as findings will surely differ among many.

I too use a SPL meter to regulate my signal path..however, a good rule of being is speak to yourself in a normal tone of voice..and if your inflection is easily audible amongst the source material, this is a good indication of a normalized level of dB.

Also, if your music has super slam both in the primary stereo image and in transients or background, it is TOO loud. As a general rule of recording and delimiters often encorporated in live recordings of analog signals, typically the drumming and guitars are suppressed when later adding the sound downs from the mix in the process of transcribing the master tape..and are therefore to be heard with the appropriate ripple effect outwards. Where the primary items in the headstage are loudest, and the secondary vocals, drumming, and guitar shreds should be in softer. This process extends dynamic range which helps promote individual harmonizing and seperation of various instrumentation. This said, if the Doors' Roadhouse Blues is jangling your cans..and the piano and harmonica sound as loud or close to Jim's voice..than your volume is perhaps 2-3 clicks too l

ud..

 

[Autochthon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Inkmo /img/forum/go_quote.gif man dangit now this has me all paranoid again. ::turns the volume down a few clicks on mp3 player::

I know exactly how you feel. I have this sudden compulsion to run down to Radio Shack and drop $50 on a SPL meter.

I spent way too many Summers and Autumns over a Stihl 0.48 without proper ear protection and I'm certain I've paid.

 

[EdT]

As audiophiles and headphiles we are suppose to listen at a comfortable sound level, meaning like in the real soundstage as if you were there, the only concerts that are way loud are rock concerts, every other event is normal room size volume. I am surpirsed how much you can hear by just turning the volume to just the first notch on the scale. Most of the time it is at the 1-1/2 to 2 on the volume scale at max, its about refinement and not like young punks trying to shake the wall and floor or in this case someone around them to hear whats coming out of their cans.