[NoValidTitle]

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.

That is a really interesting tactic. I'll have to try that sometime.

 

[Skylab]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Autochthon /img/forum/go_quote.gif 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.

You should. I actually enjoy listening to headphones much more having measured and knowing I am listening at safe levels (80dbA peak). It's nice not having to worry.

 

[braillediver]

Sorry to hear. I hate to say this but- don’t people play electrostats at higher volume levels than normal headphones?

This is not an accurate measure but what is your volume knob set to when listening to the Aristaeus?


Good Luck Mitch

 

[tom10167]

Ever since owning IEMs I seriously go nuts in somewhat-noisy environments when I'm not wearing them, everyone speaks so loudly, everyone's yelling, noisy traffic etc.

I try to keep the volume as enjoyably quiet as I can too.

 

[adanac061]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HugoFreire /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've done an audiometry today and found out that my left ear is slightly damaged on the 4-6kHz range. My right ear is OK, but the threshold of hearing for around 4kHz is louder than it should be. This is a typical noise-induced hearing loss. My audiologist told me not to use headphones anymore, but I think he's being too radical. I've decided to buy a SPL meter to keep my listening at safe levels. My question is: what are safe levels for headphones? Same as speakers (70-80dB)?

Or you could just red wine all day.

............



.............. "Wine News: Red wine may fight deafness, hearing loss
"Moderate consumption of red wine or aspirin may fight deafness and hearing loss caused by loud noise or intake of certain antibiotics, say scientists.

The delicate hairs of the inner ear, which are vital for hearing, can be damaged by the oxygen free radicals produced by normal cellular processes throughout life or in response to loud noise and exposure to antibiotics, reported the online edition of New Scientist.

Jochen Schacht of the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor and his colleagues used salicylate to try to prevent damage to the hair cells in patients' ears caused by gentamicin - a powerful antibiotic often used to treat severe, acute ear infections."

Full article here."

 

[walls]

Exactly how does one go about testing the volume at which he listens to his headphones?? I have an SPL meter from the "Shack" that I use for my theater, is this the same tool used for headphones??

 

[fierce_freak]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skylab /img/forum/go_quote.gif You should. I actually enjoy listening to headphones much more having measured and knowing I am listening at safe levels (80dbA peak). It's nice not having to worry.

I wish there was a way to check IEM's as those are what I primarily listen with. It would certainly ease my mind a bit.

 

[ecclesand]

Quote:

Originally Posted by adanac061 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Or you could just red wine all day. ............ .............. "Wine News: Red wine may fight deafness, hearing loss "Moderate consumption of red wine or aspirin may fight deafness and hearing loss caused by loud noise or intake of certain antibiotics, say scientists. The delicate hairs of the inner ear, which are vital for hearing, can be damaged by the oxygen free radicals produced by normal cellular processes throughout life or in response to loud noise and exposure to antibiotics, reported the online edition of New Scientist. Jochen Schacht of the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor and his colleagues used salicylate to try to prevent damage to the hair cells in patients' ears caused by gentamicin - a powerful antibiotic often used to treat severe, acute ear infections." Full article here."

Whew!

I was worried there for a minute. I thought I was going to have to turn down the music. All is well again...just need to drink more!!!

When you have 2 kids (Boy 6 and Girl 3)...sometimes a little deafness is a good thing!

 

[MD1032]

Give your ears a break for a couple weeks: a good rule of thumb is that if the volume is the same as or less than the volume of a person's voice speaking to you, then you're OK. If you can't hear someone who is trying to talk to you while you're wearing headphones, you're surely causing some damage. This works exclusively for open headphones, obviously.

 

[HFat]

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!

Enjoyment is subjective. People see things differently and enjoy different things... what's so hard to believe about that?
Your musical tastes and your choice of transducer might have something to do with it as well.

About the main topic, I don't know that 80dB peaks are totally safe and there is the matter of measurement error and specific frequencies being louder than the weighting so I wouldn't want to be have 80dB peaks (according to my meter) for long listening sessions.
That said, there is such a thing as too much safety. There are many other sources of noise most of us have to live with besides music and no one's hearing is going to last forever anyway...

 

[Inkmo]

man, you guys might hate me for this, but I was looking at that Fletcher Munson curve and got to thinking that, in theory, cans with something similar to a Sony Smile with the trough in the 3-5khz range would probably produce the 'flattest' sound at lower listening levels. Maybe that's part of the reason behind the incongruous frequency response graphs and claims of 'flatness' that surround the 7506?

Anyways, I'm inspired now to take advantage of the user defined mode on my U2's eq to try and make my own anti F-M curve

Gonna go rock out in peace and quite. toodleloo.

 

[Skylab]

Quote:

Originally Posted by walls /img/forum/go_quote.gif Exactly how does one go about testing the volume at which he listens to his headphones?? I have an SPL meter from the "Shack" that I use for my theater, is this the same tool used for headphones??

Yes. You need to couple the SPL meter to the earcup using cardboard, like this:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Inkmo /img/forum/go_quote.gif man, you guys might hate me for this, but I was looking at that Fletcher Munson curve and got to thinking that, in theory, cans with something similar to a Sony Smile with the trough in the 3-5khz range would probably produce the 'flattest' sound at lower listening levels. Maybe that's part of the reason behind the incongruous frequency response graphs and claims of 'flatness' that surround the 7506?

This is right on actually, and since I often listen at lower levels, this is one reason I really like Beyer DT990 and 770 - the rising bass response makes lower-level listening much more fun.

 

[appar111]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stunna7516 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Here you go http://www.headwize.com/articles/hearing_art.htm

According to some of the typical sounds that are of certain decibel ratings, I'd guess that I'm in the 70dB range for about 85% of my music listening. Maybe 80-90 dB for those times when I crank my favorite tune, but no more than about 5-6 minutes of that. After my scare a couple summers ago w/ the silver 325's and ringing in my ears, I got alot more careful.

The toughest for me is keeping the volume low in the car, since you have to turn it up to at least a certain amount to hear the music over the road noise.

 

[spinali]

Like most listeners here, I'm not an audiologist, but it seems that continued high volume levels isn't unlike taking in high sodium levels. It's a slow, incremental "killer." However, you'd be surprised how low volume levels become very natural over time. Ears weren't designed for continued high volume input, but we take in lower volumes quite frequently.

But you definitely want to keep your hearing!

 

[GlendaleViper]

Quote:

Originally Posted by EdT /img/forum/go_quote.gif ...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.

You're right, but that's a little presumptious. Rock music (more specifically harder Rock) is better enjoyed loud, plain and simple. To assume everyone listening to their music loud is just some jerk looking for attention is absurd. Of course, in some cases, you'd be correct.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Inkmo /img/forum/go_quote.gif ...cans with something similar to a Sony Smile with the trough in the 3-5khz range would probably produce the 'flattest' sound at lower listening levels. Maybe that's part of the reason behind the incongruous frequency response graphs and claims of 'flatness' that surround the 7506?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skylab /img/forum/go_quote.gif This is right on actually, and since I often listen at lower levels, this is one reason I really like Beyer DT990 and 770 - the rising bass response makes lower-level listening much more fun.

Same can be said for the Grado GS1000. Elevated bass and treble (allegedly) make for perfect low-level listening. This is probably why so many people find the mids recessed on them, since at higher levels, the bass would be huge and the treble very bright?