[nonsupremous]

Skylab,
Roughly how high on your DAP are you getting to reach the 80db mark?  Are you pushing 60 percent for most of your headphones? 

 

[Skylab]

I actually never use a DAP without an amp, so I can't say, sorry. And in any case, it doesn't work that way - volume settings are only similar for identical headphones. Different settings on the volume control of anything (DAP, amp) will depend entirely on what headphone is being used.

 

[nonsupremous]

Very true, I was looking for someting in a general vacinity.  I know due to impedance and sensitivity some headphones require you to turn up the volume by 3 or 4 notches to receive the same level of volume.
 
It certainly is a good topic.  I never personally listen to music that would make my ears ring or hurt when I was finished, but I am often curios about how close to the 80 to 85 db level I get. 
 
Now 20 years ago is a whole different story!  lol.  I would put a headphone to the test.  I actaully had a pioneer system blow up on me because I pushed it too much listening to some Zeppelin in an old pair of Sony's.  Glad I am not so destructive anymore. 

 

[Nightslayer]

The thing I'm afraid of is that when I first start listening to my setup, the music would sound crystal clear and almost too loud for a normal level, but after an hour or so it'll seem normal and the level of detail I can detect will drop. I normally listen to my music for hours on end but at the same time my hearing is extremely precious to me (being a musician) so I'm rather paranoid about such things. I lack an SPL meter, and so far many research articles i've seen on this topic have very varying views so I'm not too sure what a safe listening volume would be like.

 

[K.I. Unlimited]

Trust your body. If it's uncomfortable, tune it down.
 
Even if it's above a arbitrary set SPL limit (say 80dB), that could say something like perhaps, you already have mild to moderate hearing loss. So you could either
 
1)Maintain status quo, keep to the same vol.
2)Turn it down a little, despite any loss of sound characteristics you may notice (clarity, blah blah blah)
3)Turn it up and further aid progress of hearing loss.
 
Better to trust your first 10-20 seconds of loudness, than to play 5minutes loudly and let your ears desensitize.