wolfen68
Headphoneus Supremus
OK....with all this talk of hearing damage, I evaluated my listening rig to see where the appropriate safe listening levels were compared to what I usually listen to.
I brought a Quest Micro 15 Noise Dosimeter home from work that we typically use for noise level measurement in the workplace. I cut a cardboard form and mounted the probe exactly in the middle of the driver of my HF-1's (which should be similar impedence and output of any other Grado). I used my H140 line output and X5 head out (volume at max for both, their max output is virtually identical) to my SR-71.
I do not evaluate or adjust the gain on any of my mp3 tracks. Therefore, to provide a potential range, I picked a "hot" mp3 I was aware of in my collection and also another with a low gain. I ran the songs and took measurements in direct read mode.
Peaks at each setting are provided below:
High gain song...
@ 9 o'clock = 79 decibels
@ 10 o'clock = 87 decibels
@ 11 o'clock = 90 decibels
@ 12 o'clock = 96 decibels
Low gain song...
@ 9 o'clock = 63 decibels
@ 11 o'clock = 75 decibels
@ 12 o'clock = 84 decibels
Going back and forth, the H140 and X5 signals always yielded results within two decibels of each other.
Ultimately, the SR-71 was safe with every mp3 I tried up to the 9 o'clock volume position, but turning the dial even a little more flirted in the undesirable 85 decibel realm. That is only an allowable 1/4 turn of the volume dial!
I typically listen at 8-9 o'clock (less than 80 decibels), so these results gave me some confidence that I'm in the ballpark.
These results will vary with different equipment, but my rig is a very typical head-fi configuration, so I hope this helps someone else. Be safe.
EDIT: This was with regular bowls.
I brought a Quest Micro 15 Noise Dosimeter home from work that we typically use for noise level measurement in the workplace. I cut a cardboard form and mounted the probe exactly in the middle of the driver of my HF-1's (which should be similar impedence and output of any other Grado). I used my H140 line output and X5 head out (volume at max for both, their max output is virtually identical) to my SR-71.
I do not evaluate or adjust the gain on any of my mp3 tracks. Therefore, to provide a potential range, I picked a "hot" mp3 I was aware of in my collection and also another with a low gain. I ran the songs and took measurements in direct read mode.
Peaks at each setting are provided below:
High gain song...
@ 9 o'clock = 79 decibels
@ 10 o'clock = 87 decibels
@ 11 o'clock = 90 decibels
@ 12 o'clock = 96 decibels
Low gain song...
@ 9 o'clock = 63 decibels
@ 11 o'clock = 75 decibels
@ 12 o'clock = 84 decibels
Going back and forth, the H140 and X5 signals always yielded results within two decibels of each other.
Ultimately, the SR-71 was safe with every mp3 I tried up to the 9 o'clock volume position, but turning the dial even a little more flirted in the undesirable 85 decibel realm. That is only an allowable 1/4 turn of the volume dial!
I typically listen at 8-9 o'clock (less than 80 decibels), so these results gave me some confidence that I'm in the ballpark.
These results will vary with different equipment, but my rig is a very typical head-fi configuration, so I hope this helps someone else. Be safe.
EDIT: This was with regular bowls.