[atx]

I don't listen to iem for more than 30 minutes at a time. For one, the ear pressure causes fatigue, and after 30 minutes my hearing feels unbalanced. Listening to any hifi headphone for more than an hour makes the outside world sound dull, as if I start to lose my high frequency hearing... for the latter reason, whenever i listen to anything for more than 1 hour, I put on my bose qc2s... they're muddy by comparison but zero fatigue at long periods and i can hear bass at very low volumes.

 

[cribeiro]

Quote:

Originally Posted by scompton /img/forum/go_quote.gif Do you know of an accurate way to test sound levels for IEMs. I bought a SPL meter from Radio Shack because of a similar thread last month. I posted how I tested my UM1, but I have no way of knowing if it was accurate. Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio - View Single Post - Audition of New Ultimate Ears Triple.fi-10 Pro

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolfen68 /img/forum/go_quote.gif No. But..if you search, there's some great older threads on how to get measurements from regular headphones. Once you know the safe level on your regular cans...then just guesstimate to approximately the same noise level with your IEM's. If ever in doubt as you compare, opt for the lower volume setting as your target. This is the approach I used with my UE5c's.

Try this

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/met...2-3-db-182346/

I find surprising how little attention it got when I posted it (still very few views), but I see it is a frequently asked question here

Quote:

Originally Posted by electro house /img/forum/go_quote.gif http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/pdfs/7311001d.pdf This is huge, if true. Perhaps the bassheads will have the last laugh -- keeping their hearing longer than the more well-rounded audiophiles who often act as if the bassheads are a lower form of music listener.

Be careful, the hair cells for the low frequencies are deeper in your ear, and you expose the ones for higher frequencies also to the low frequencies. AFAIK, you can damage the hair cells for higher frequencies with low frequency SPL even without noticing (precisely because our ear is less sensitive to low freq.).

Quote:

Originally Posted by electro house /img/forum/go_quote.gif Also, it may be when it comes to long term db levels, all dbs are not created equal. For example, scientifically speaking, I might be able to see how 100db (pick a number) coming into your ears from ear canals over time might have a different effect than 100db coming from a speaker system, even if its in a car, etc. Something to do with 1 of these 2 experiments, your eardrums have more airspace, etc., to deal with, and borrowing from material fatigue experiments, etc --> long story short is I wouldn't be shocked if it turns out that 100db x 1000 hours from IEMS is more damaging to hearing or ears than 100db x 1000 hours from speaker system. I'm not sayin the above is true. But I will say this, as a gut feeling: if I had to choose between being exposed 1 hour to 140db via IEMS vs. 1 hour 140db via speakers, I'd choose the speakers...just seems to make sense that the speaker experiment *might* be less damaging -- the human body might be naturally more resilient to loud db's coming from far away, vs the more unnatural piped in dbs coming from iems. I suppose counterargument is the above is irrelevant - whats important is the db level when it hits your eardrum...

You might be right here, but I am unsure. I actually find strange that my sister's audiologist told her not to use headphones at all for listening to music (she has a partial hearing loss). I would really like to discuss this matter with him, but I doubt I will get the chance (my hearing is good). And I am unsure because with the speakers, you get SPL everywhere in your body, including your mouth. Opening your mouth alleviates the pressure on the ear.

 

[IPodPJ]

Why don't you post the whole chart instead of scaring people. No, it isn't to cover their butts. It's recommended DAILY ALLOWANCES set forth by the Occupational Safety and Hazards Association (OSHA).

greater than 130db: Never (not listed in manual but I have found these "top 5" on OSHA's website)
125db - 130db: No more than a 10 second pulse of sound at this level
at 120db - 125db No more than 1 minute at this level
at 115 - 120db: Never more than 2 - 5 minutes
at 110db - 115db: 15 minutes
at 110db: 30 minutes
at 105db: 1 hour
at 100db: 2 hours
at 95db: 4 hours
at 90db: 8 hours

These are established safe listening levels. Exceeding the recommendations can cause hearing damage, and WILL most likely cause definite damage at any level over 125db - 130db for any length of time.

 

[Bizzel]

I would have thought it was to protect against bacterial growth in the ear canal. I mean, if you have a warm, sealed, damp environment that's going to raise the risk of an ear infection.

 

[ClieOS]

Haven't the time nor interest to read the whole thread, but my guess is: The same reason why Macdonald's is selling hot coffee with 'warning, content hot!' label - just to cover their responsibility in case anyone want to sue them for hearing damage caused by improper use... mostly because way too many people don't read manual and like to blame other for it.