How loud should you listen to your stereo?

[John Oteri]

The "how loud do you listen?" comments on the "Nevermind" posts are interesting.

This is what Tom Port says, after a starter from FabFourFan:


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Originally posted by FabFourFan
One unfortunate irony of having a 'big' system is that you can then use it to damage your hearing - permanently!
Remember, once you damage it, you can't never fix it!
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Tom:
I had a girlfriend long ago who was an audiologist. Her advice, bottom line: it's really hard to damage your hearing. You have to play something that's constantly loud for a long period of time, or extremely loud for a short period of time. My stereo can do neither. Think about all the drummers in the world. That instrument is ten times louder than my stereo could ever get. Are they deaf? How about all the 60 year old jazz drummers still playing around town. I've seen a dozen of them. They talk in a normal voice just like I do. Deaf people don't do that.

Your brain shuts your hearing down to protect it. That's where the ringing comes in. You would have to overwhelm these protection circuits to cause damage, and it just can't be done without amplified instruments or machinery or airplanes or guns or something else like them.

But it's loads of fun to try! IMO.


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This is what Angel, a recording engineer says:

With all do respect, as a recording engineer, I totally disagree.

Our ears are fragile and have to last a lifetime. I'd rather be able to hear 10k when I'm 80 then play "Nevermind" loud now.

Turn it down, especially compressed stuff like Nirvana. You don't realise just how loud it is when the music is supercompressed. It's like standing in front of a running airplane engine for hours at a time.

Trust me.

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So, what do you all think? And of course, Mr. Steve Hoffman, what do think, and how loud do you listen?

I think that this is a REALLY important topic.

[Matt]

I'm a bit more conservative, but I never blast the music so loud that I'd have trouble hearing the phone or the doorbell. I actually play classical music and some jazz CD's louder than hard rock albums; they aren't as fatiguing.

[pjrashid]

I don't know about anyone else, but I sometimes pull out a SPL meter during playback. I probably max out at around 110db or so before I think it's too loud for me. But I can only take that level for a couple of songs...then I have to turn it down!!

I agree with the time and sound level as the two factors for determining the amount of damage to your ears. Sound is a wave like radiation, and dosage from radiation is also measured the same way.



:p

[RandyHat]

Perhaps its a function of getting older or getting better equipment...or both, but I don't listen to music as loudly now as I used to. I really think that it has more to do with the quality of my playback system. I used to think I had to increase the volume to get the emotional impact and the details of the music. I think volume, while certainly necessary to a certain extent to convery the emotion of the music, is really just a way of putting the music more in your face and forces you to pay attention. As a general rule I've found that better playback components draw you into the performance and ultimately are more involving...and allow you to listen to music at much lower volume levels and still hear all the details and the emotion of the performance.

[Grant]

The older I get, the more enjoyment I actually get by listening al LOWER levels because I can appreciate the dynamics range a bit more. I don't really listen much past 95db anymore. I've probably just gotten out of the habit of listening loud.

[Edge_88]

Wow dont you think 110 db is kinda loud? On my system shatter the windows. LOL. Also with my ears I've had 8 surgeries, not from loud music or anything - I had ear infections when I was young from medical problems when i was born. My hearing is great, and as I get older I listen now to other music: rock, jazz, classical etc.

[Rob LoVerde]

I like to listen at around 85dB. I'm sure many of you feel that this is rather soft, but I find that I can actually hear MORE at 85dB than, say, 95dB. Why? Indulge me in a personal analogy: I apologize for how stupid this may sound...

Think of pouring water down a kitchen sink drain. If you pour it too quickly, it splashes all around the drain because it's too much water for it to handle all at once. But if you pour slowly and steadily, the water CAN be handled and doesn't end up collecting before it eventually is accepted...

Much like our hearing I think. I find that at levels above 90dB, I can hear my ears COMPRESSING. Not a whole lot, but enough. It's like trying to shove too much audio into your ears at once. You're ears can't relax, therefore, they are not "operating" optimally, if you will...

Having said all that, I'm not such a purist that I don't believe that above EVERYTHING else you should listen at levels you LOVE. But, I used to crank all the time, too! Once I realized that I was often MISSING musical details by doing so, the volume knob went counter-clockwise for a change...

Next thread: Rob is pretentious! :D

[trhunnicutt]

My listening preferences are similar to Rob, in that I listen between 85-90db.

Space is fairly large (1400 sq ft open loft) with the listening position about 12 ft from the speakers, with 14' high ceilings.

Sometimes, though, it is an absolute kick in the pants to crank it up to 100-105db with some Cameo, Madonna, Mellencamp on 12" 45RPM, or throw on some Talking Heads or EWF on CD.

Dolby reference is someone in the 70-75db range, if I'm not mistaken. It's been a while with the M-channel stuff.

Tom H

[FabFourFan]

Originally posted by Rob LoVerde
I like to listen at around 85dB.Sounds like a smart move to me!

These days, when I want to crank things up, I set the level and then leave the room while the system does its thing.
I leave the doors open, so it's easy to find a safe place to enjoy the show!

The fact that I admit this certainly means that I'm getting old. :D

[Grant]

I think a distinction should be made between peak and average. I listen to no more than a peak of 95db. Of course, the average is lower.

[Gary]

Originally posted by FabFourFan


These days, when I want to crank things up, I set the level and then leave the room while the system does its thing.
I leave the doors open, so it's easy to find a safe place to enjoy the show!



I remember Steve saying that he likes BIG speakers. When he's in the next room, he likes the illusion that the Doors are actually playing in his house!

Sounds like you are in good company!

As for me, I like it loud enough that I can hear all the detail and not cringe at the high notes. Of course for some remasters, cringing happens at a really low level. :rolleyes:

I have no way of telling how many db's that is........

[Joseph]

I find that each Cd has a volume level that is optimal with my room/equipment. I mark the volume level on a sticker on each Cd and use that level as often as I can.

Db level? No idea.

Good recordings at the optimal level never bother my ears.

Bad, screeching recordings bother me at almost any level!

Cheers

[Dob]

My experience. FWIW, is that hearing damage is most likely to occur while listening to headphones, especially high performance, non isolating ones. The high performance allows high DB levels at low distortion, and the non isolating feature will want to make you turn them up further to compensate for background noise.

I used to take my CD walkman on car trips and listen on headphones, to get better sound than through a cassette adapter. After a two hour trip I had that "woolly" feeling in my ears and I knew that the level was too high.

This rule of thumb works for me, whether I am listening through (non isolating) headphones or speakers - snap your fingers. If you can hear the snap, the sound level is OK.

[RDK]

The only rule of thumb that i know is that it's too loud when my wife asks me to turn it down! ;)

Actually, though i don't have a sound level meter, I'd guess that i usually listen in the 80-90db range. Having a 2-watt SET amp helps in that regard.

Ray

[Beagle]

I hate loud music. Why would music ever have to be played loud, unless it was attempting to cover up a lack of ideas plus talent. When you walk through the woods or the park, do you enjoy the sounds of the birds and the babbling brook at their natural levels or would you prefer them to be blasted in your eardrums at 120 dB through paper and cardboard?

I do enjoy energy. But energy has nothing to do with volume. I used to come home from concerts with my ears ringing, thinking how dumb it is for bands to play at such excruciating levels.

I like to "reach out" and soak in music and sound, not have it run me over like a train.

[Holy Zoo]

I average around 82ish db, peaking around 85-90.

[Chris M]

Like most music enthusiasts, I listen to music to get some sort of emotional, life affirming experience out of it. Some stuff just doesn't produce the same feeling unless it's really cranked. If I really want to get off on Machine Gun or Power of Soul from the BOG LP it's HAS to be loud. I realize that I'm probably going to cause myself some *minor* hearing loss in my later years b/c of my listening habits but I'm almost tempted to say that it will be worth it. There's just nothing in the world like hearing (and feeling) Jimi hold THAT one note in Machine Gun. I usually wear plugs at concerts and don't crank my system for more than 30 min at a time but I just can't get the same emotional response for some LP's (BOG, Leeds, etc.) unless I shake the walls.....

Chris

[pjrashid]

I dare anyone to listen to Live at Leeds at low volume (<90 db)! After I blew out my 3rd Ohm F top listening to Leeds, I decided I'd better buy some Khorns!

[JohnnyK]

Originally posted by Chris M
If I really want to get off on Machine Gun or Power of Soul from the BOG LP it's HAS to be loud. I realize that I'm probably going to cause myself some *minor* hearing loss in my later years b/c of my listening habits but I'm almost tempted to say that it will be worth it.
Chris

Chris,

When I was younger I felt the same way that you do about "cranking it up". I now have Tinnitus which is a real bummer because I am never able to experience the true meaning of "quiet" due to my ears constantly ringing.

Just a thought.

John

[Brian D.]

Originally posted by JohnnyK


Chris,

When I was younger I felt the same way that you do about "cranking it up". I now have Tinnitus which is a real bummer because I am never able to experience the true meaning of "quiet" due to my ears constantly ringing.

Just a thought.

John

John,

My ears are ringing ALL the time too. I guess I will take it to the grave. I listen now at about 90db max, 20 feet back. I do notice that sharp spikes of sound, (clapping hands next to me, blaring car horns with the windows down) cause a dramatic increase in the ringing for the short term. My father, 86 now, has 2 hearing aids. He was an aircraft riveter in the 40s – 50s with Republic Aviation, with NO hearing protection. He is almost deaf.
I hope they can find a CURE for us.