[paaj]

I tend to turn the volume lower the later it gets. Seems like you tune in on the music and adapt the hearing to lower levels.
Also because it's much more quiet at night.

sr125 at half volume out of a macbook (itunes full) gives me headaches, I used 3 bars at most.

 

[tintin47]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Feather225 /img/forum/go_quote.gif more than 70% of your ipod volume is too loud ^ ^

If you're using the stock buds, I would say that more than 40-50% is too loud. Just goes to show that everyone has different standards. The only way to know for sure is to buy a meter.

 

[Bubbah]

When your ear hurts or its not comfortable to listen anymore.

 

[dark_quota]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nocturnal310 /img/forum/go_quote.gif another reason to buy a portable amp for portable players. at lower volume level it sounds better without needing to damage ears.

That's one of the main reasons why I plan to buy a portable amp sometime in the near future.

 

[moogoob]

My kind of thread.

Duggeh had it right on page one. Up the volume until your sound is coherent, then back it off a notch.

 

[scompton]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Feather225 /img/forum/go_quote.gif more than 70% of your ipod volume is too loud ^ ^

That really depends on the headphone you have plugged into it. I rarely go over 33% with my IEMs and 50% for most of my portable headphones.

However, some of the headphones I use with my iPod are 70-75dB at 75% on the iPod.

 

[troymadison]

85DB IS TOO LOUD
84DB IS ALMOST TOO LOUD
83DB IS OKAY BUT NOT COMFORTABLE
82db I stop typing in caps since it ain't so bad
81db is smooth
80db is sexy
...
30-40DB: TOO QUIET! WHAT? CAN'T HEAR YOU!

 

[intoart]

I think that I listen too quietly (and for too little time per day) to get any hearing damage. In spite of this, I felt a twinge of pain in one ear last night.
Are there some possible non sound-related causes? If so, what are they?
I already listen as low as I can go and still get a full sound. Any quieter, and I would have to give up headphones entirely! I sure hope it is something unrelated (maybe a cold symptom or something.)
BTW, there is no ringing or loss of acuity, and the ache felt shallower than the eardrum.

 

[scompton]

It's just as easy to listen too loud with speakers

 

[oqvist]

I don´t agree. Not unless you have 1000$ speakers... They will distort since they have to play even louder since they have a bigger room generally to fill to get to the same db level as with headphones some centimetres from your ear drum. But of course if you don´t care about how it sounds it´s just as easy even with cheaper speakers but then you really have to be on a mission to play to loud

 

[oeyhamre]

You are much more likely to sustain hearing damage with headset. The transducers are just cm. from your eardrums so the level you start making damage is also much lower.
It is extremly important to watch your sound level when listening to music. I work as a live soundengineer in a small venue and I`m always monitoring the conserts I mix with a sound level meter. At a 1-2 hour concert I never let the average level over 85 - 90 dBA, and never a peak level over 105 dBA (I don`t want to be the one causing people premanent hearingloss). With long (16 hours or more) exposure a level as low as 80dBA can give permanent hearingloss, at 85dBA norwegian law states that hearingprotection must be worn when the exposure is 8 hours or more. Even US standards states a maximum exposure at 95 dBA of 4 hours. A peak at 120 dBA can leave you permanently deaf!
If you experience ringing/hissing/beeping sounds and of course pain after a listening session: TURN IT DOWN! (and take breaks). Your hearing is supposed to last a lifetime, take care of your ears

 

[scompton]

The level that causes damage with headphones and speakers (or jack hammers or guns) is exactly the same. It's the level at your ear, not the level at the source. A jet engine from 50 feet will damage your hearing, but it won't at a mile. It's just as easy to run speakers loud enough to damage your hearing. I've known several people who have done it. I also disagree that distortion limits how loud most people listen to speakers. It doesn't stop people using ear buds, so why should it stop people with speakers. It's true if you have small speakers trying to fill a very large room, you probably won't get too loud, but if you're listening at your computer, which a lot of people do, you're pretty close to your speakers.

oeyhamre, I wish more sound engineers were as thoughtful as you are. The last not acoustic concert I went to was amplified to arena concert levels in a small theater with only around 200 people there. I had ear plugs and I still had to leave half way though to protect my hearing. It didn't even sound good. It was a band I really like and the first time I had a chance to see them live. They sound much better on CD.

 

[nv88]

Ok, I have a sound level meter. If 85db is "safe" for 8 hours/day, I'm I looking for 85db peaks, or an average (constant) level of 85db? I think the OSHA chart is talking about constant noise, right? Should I be using A or C weighting? Any tips for checking levels?

 

[oeyhamre]

Scompton is of course right, my comment was a bit inaccurate. What I meant to say was that one is more likely to turn heasets up to loud. This because you`ll often feel the need to compensate for the lack of soundpressure to the body. Epecially the bass can feel thin and "not there" so you crank up the volume to try to compensate. Without thinking you`ve left the safe zone and is in danger of damaging your ears.
Listening to loudspeakers there`s also often environmental factors limiting maximum SPL, such as spouses, neighbours...

As for some of my fellow engineers many have the attitude that louder is always better. There is also the problem of musicians insisting on silly loud backline (gitaramps, monitors and suchlike). Many soundengineers turn up the PA to maintain some control of the mix. Personally I`ve found that politely explaining the offending musican that to loud onstage SPL results in bad sound for the audience. In most cases this is appreciated and a soundlevel everyone can be happy with can be found.
Also every soundengineer worth his pay should at least
consider turning it down if some in the audience politely asks him to do so.

 

[scompton]

Quote:

Originally Posted by oeyhamre /img/forum/go_quote.gif Listening to loudspeakers there`s also often environmental factors limiting maximum SPL, such as spouses, neighbours...

I agree. For me, my spouse also limits how loud I can listen to headphones because she wants me to be able to hear her calling me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by oeyhamre /img/forum/go_quote.gif As for some of my fellow engineers many have the attitude that louder is always better. There is also the problem of musicians insisting on silly loud backline (gitaramps, monitors and suchlike). Many soundengineers turn up the PA to maintain some control of the mix. Personally I`ve found that politely explaining the offending musican that to loud onstage SPL results in bad sound for the audience. In most cases this is appreciated and a soundlevel everyone can be happy with can be found. Also every soundengineer worth his pay should at least consider turning it down if some in the audience politely asks him to do so.

The concert I went to was Garage a Trois and your description sounds a lot like what it looked like from the audience. The bad had all types of equipment on stage with them and they were constantly fiddling with it. They also weren't wearing any hearing protection. Since they've probably been doing this for years, their hearing is probably already shot.