safe volume for canalphones????

[cannard]

Hey all,

while i searched and couldnt really find what i was looking for, bar getting a db meter, how can i work out whats a safe volume for my er-6s?

through my ihp-140 i have the volume set at about 13-15 is this too loud?
my ears hurt a bit, but i figure this is cause ive only had the etys for about 4 days now. with the standard iriver phones, the volume was set at 22-23

dunno if that helps things, or if everyone is different. i cant tell whats too loud as the etys are a different experience to normal type buds

thanks for any help/ light you can shed on this

 

[terrymx]

i suggest to have it loud enough to enjoy music over an extended amount of time without hurting your ears. your ears might be more sensitive than others as well.

let me try my ihp120 with the included buds.........
13-17 is good for me, i wouldnt need more than 20. some songs are originally recorded at lower volume then other so i have to turn them up.

canalphones block a lot more noises than these so the volume might need to be even lower. ofcourse how difficult it is to power different set of headphones come into play aswell.

canalphones are quit useful if you use it correctly since you wont need to turn them up in noisy enviroments.

 

[AuroraProject]

This really all depends on the files as well, have they been gain modified, or normalized? With my iriver and Ety ER-4P's I usually listen at 15-20 (all files gain adjusted to 95db).

A question for you, do your ears ring when you're done listening? If so it's too loud.

 

[cannard]

gain adjusted eh?

might have to look into that, mpgain seems to be most mentioned, just stuff around with that?

my ears dont ring, but i think im getting an infection in my right ear, either that or i was a bit to zealous with a cue-tip and burised myself

 

[AuroraProject]

I see you just got the Ety's, my ears bothered me for the first 2 weeks or so, but you get used to them eventually.

Edit: I missed the fact that you just got them!

 

[nobody020]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cannard gain adjusted eh? my ears dont ring, but i think im getting an infection in my right ear, either that or i was a bit to zealous with a cue-tip and burised myself

You really shouldn't be using a q-tip to clean your ear canal to the point of bruising yourself. If you're doing that, then there's a good chance that you're going to damage something important. The are quite a few alternatives to using q-tips, including quite a few over-the-counter ear drops that do an excellent job of cleaning out your ears without actually putting anything stiff in there. I've also used Alcohol and that works fairly well. If you really have an infection, then you should get it checked out by a doctor.

 

[commando]

The volume i'd recommend is high enough that you can hear it above background noise. If you ever get ringing in your ears you know you've had it waaaaay too loud.

Trust me on this, tinnitus isn't fun, and it CAN happen to you. You miss the silence when it's gone. Mine's entirely caused by loud music (partially headphones, more nightclubs), and is all my own fault.

 

[cannard]

well i cant really say if its bruised, infected or just getting use to the etys
its just a dull pain at the moment, if it gets worse i'll see a doctor.

my ears kinda ring anyways, its usually only noticable when its dead quiet, though sometimes its so bad its deafening (that make sense?) but as soon as there is some sort of noise it disapears,

i might try some of that chemical ear cleaning stuff.

 

[Idiot MD]

It seems to me the question you are asking is "How high can I safely play my music?" Perhaps the question should be "How low can you play it and still enjoy the music?"

Oh, and isn't that a symptom of tinnitus? I'm not a doctor but I thought a persistent ringing in the ears is a sign.

 

[cannard]

i do see your point, im kind of stuck between paranoia of all the hearing damage threads ive read on this site, and a volume that i find enjoyable,

i think i was lucky to get what i think is a decent seal on my second day of wearing them, for me anyway as the bass is quite sufficient at that volume. i havent even tried the foam tips yet!

well i must thank you guys immensely for not only your help now, but for making spend waaaay more than i planned to on headphones in the first place!

 

[Idiot MD]

One of the tricks that another member offered (sorry whoever it was I can't remember): Play the music at a volume you are initially comfortable with, let it play for a while (say a track) then turn the volume down a click or two and let it play for a while again. If you can just listen to the music then turn it down a couple more clicks. Repeat process until you find where it is no longer enjoyable and go to the last "good" spot.

 

[Innuendo]

I also suffer from tinnitus, though not severely. If your ears ring after listening, your music is too loud - trust me.

A good pointer is to listen at the softest volume where you can still discern the details of your music. Also, take regular breaks - don't listen for hours on end.

Happy listening!

 

[Kuja]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AuroraProject (all files gain adjusted to 95db).

Erm, why would you do that? If that is the avg volume of a track, it will only cause clipping, unless of course you listen to mainstream music in which case the dynamic range is only about 2dB so you should be fine

 

[enzoferrari650]

I dont wanna get Tinnitus

I will be very careful

 

[Luke]

I remember reading in the Shure manual that they recommend you should initially turn the volume to the lowest setting you can that sounds good to you, and then don't increase the volume later. People are naturally inclined to turn up the volume after a while, and this is what you should avoid. Shure should know what they're talking about, since they're in the business of hearing protection.