So I kinda confirmed my suspicions as to why I can't hear way up there anymore (I can still hear around 18Khz) and why I have a bit of tinnitus.
Years ago before I got into this hobby, I would drive several hours to go to european band concerts. I had just gotten my new toy, a little turbo'd flyin miata, and would cruise hours with the top and windows down and play some music.
I didn't really know about SPL's and all that, but I didn't blast music just to blast it - I just wanted to hear it. However, at those speeds with everything down the background noise was pretty loud. So I would drive 2+ hours with lots of noise then go to a concert without hearing protection for a couple hours then drive back for 2+ hours again with lots of noise. I did think that these metal concerts were too loud so I used to stick foam eartips partially in as to not muddy up everything and just hear bass. However, I did not think of this until after a lot of concerts.
Today I turned on the SPL meter in the lil guy on the highway with everything down - 95+ dB! Now most of that is LF sounds and from what I understand our ears are less sensitive to that and it isn't as harmful. But that much can't be good anyway. Turned it to a weighted curve for our hearing and it was 85~90 on a busy highway.
That for 4 hours and then a concert that I'm sure broke 100 dB in the weighted curve I think did it, especially that one week I went to several in a row.
Now I never go anywhere without my ER20's - and well if I forgot it I just plug in FX33's and they do an -ok- job, still allowing me to hear talking.
Years ago before I got into this hobby, I would drive several hours to go to european band concerts. I had just gotten my new toy, a little turbo'd flyin miata, and would cruise hours with the top and windows down and play some music.
I didn't really know about SPL's and all that, but I didn't blast music just to blast it - I just wanted to hear it. However, at those speeds with everything down the background noise was pretty loud. So I would drive 2+ hours with lots of noise then go to a concert without hearing protection for a couple hours then drive back for 2+ hours again with lots of noise. I did think that these metal concerts were too loud so I used to stick foam eartips partially in as to not muddy up everything and just hear bass. However, I did not think of this until after a lot of concerts.
Today I turned on the SPL meter in the lil guy on the highway with everything down - 95+ dB! Now most of that is LF sounds and from what I understand our ears are less sensitive to that and it isn't as harmful. But that much can't be good anyway. Turned it to a weighted curve for our hearing and it was 85~90 on a busy highway.
That for 4 hours and then a concert that I'm sure broke 100 dB in the weighted curve I think did it, especially that one week I went to several in a row.
Now I never go anywhere without my ER20's - and well if I forgot it I just plug in FX33's and they do an -ok- job, still allowing me to hear talking.