What is the Safe Volume (DB) to listen

veerapaneni
veerapaneni Posts: 112
edited November 2010 in Speakers
My ears hurt when i play music at 70 to 80 DB (SPL Meter) .
Post edited by veerapaneni on
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  • silvertuner
    silvertuner Posts: 496
    edited November 2010
    how about some information on your set up? both audio and room

    some cheap free sony speakers
    psw125
    denon 1610
    3.1 channel because i hate cables ran across the living room like that
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  • Rev. Hayes
    Rev. Hayes Posts: 475
    edited November 2010
    I belive the threshold of pain is around 120 db.

    But jet engines run around 90 so.....
    Sounds good to me...
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  • messiah
    messiah Posts: 1,790
    edited November 2010
    veerapaneni wrote: »
    My ears hurt when i play music at 70 to 80 DB (SPL Meter) .

    Wow, that seems really low. Maybe you just have very sensitive ears? :confused:

    Here's what one site says:

    http://www.dangerousdecibels.org/research/information-center/decibel-exposure-time-guidelines/

    I'd say if your ears hurt, turn it down.
    "They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."
    Benjamin Franklin, February 17th, 1775.

    "The day that I have to give up my constitutional rights AND let some dude rub my junk...well, let's just say that it's gonna be a real bad day for the dude trying to rub my junk!!"
    messiah, November 23rd, 2010
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  • Toolfan66
    Toolfan66 Posts: 17,994
    edited November 2010
    That or it's to bright and/or too much distortion cause your pushing your system harder then it can handle..

    Turn it down...
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  • decal
    decal Posts: 3,205
    edited November 2010
    Don't listen that loud then.Use a little common sense.
    If you can't hear a difference, don't waste your money.
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  • veerapaneni
    veerapaneni Posts: 112
    edited November 2010
    decal wrote: »
    Don't listen that loud then.Use a little common sense.

    But the music sound better at these levels.
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  • veerapaneni
    veerapaneni Posts: 112
    edited November 2010
    silvertuner wrote: »
    how about some information on your set up? both audio and room

    Fronts: Paradigm Signature S8
    Sub: Paradigm Sub 25
    Center : C5
    Surround : ADP3.
    Amp: Anthem P5
    Process: anthem D2V

    I use only front speakers for 2 Ch.
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  • veerapaneni
    veerapaneni Posts: 112
    edited November 2010
    messiah wrote: »
    Wow, that seems really low. Maybe you just have very sensitive ears? :confused:

    Here's what one site says:

    http://www.dangerousdecibels.org/research/information-center/decibel-exposure-time-guidelines/

    I'd say if your ears hurt, turn it down.

    Thanks . This gives good info.
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,409
    edited November 2010
    veerapaneni wrote: »
    My ears hurt when i play music at 70 to 80 DB (SPL Meter) .

    Sounds like gear or room issues or even the type of recordings/music you are listening to. That really isn't all that loud. Obviously more info about your set-up, room and listening habits are in order.

    On my rig I can listen to well recorded music for 6-8 hours or longer, around 88-95dB with zero fatigue, but if I put in Metallica after about an hour I'm done because it's recorded so poorly. So it could be a combo of things............that word SYNERGY comes to mind.

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Puritan Audio PSM136 Pwr Condtioner & Classic PC's | Legend L600 | Roon Nucleus 1 w/LPS - Tubes add soul!
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  • veerapaneni
    veerapaneni Posts: 112
    edited November 2010
    My room is not that great and i cannot change much because i rent my home. I have added 10 acoustic panels to bring down echo but it is not perfect.
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  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,576
    edited November 2010
    <70dB
    CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 51,698
    edited November 2010
    veerapaneni wrote: »
    My ears hurt when i play music at 70 to 80 DB (SPL Meter) .

    That is not loud. Time to rework your rig starting with the source.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • veerapaneni
    veerapaneni Posts: 112
    edited November 2010
    I have just spent a fortune. I beleive my Anthem P5 is causing lot of this. I might have to get used to this in next week or i will change it.
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  • decal
    decal Posts: 3,205
    edited November 2010
    veerapaneni wrote: »
    But the music sound better at these levels.

    If it hurts your ears,how does it sound better? I'm not trying to be difficult,I'm just trying to understand your reasoning.Maybe there's a medical problem going on with your ears.Have you seen a specialist?
    If you can't hear a difference, don't waste your money.
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  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 33,068
    edited November 2010
    What kind of cables are you using ? Your pre and amp are no slouch, maybe a missmatch with the speaks ? Maybe your ears are just sensitive to those tweets in the S8. Look for a warmer sounding speaker or try some warmer sounding cables. Also,are you sure everything is set up right in the processor ? You have alot of wiggle room in the D2 to taylor the sound.
    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
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  • messiah
    messiah Posts: 1,790
    edited November 2010
    The more I look at this, them more I think it's not a matter of decibels, but rather a spike in a particular frequency range that hurts your ears. You didn't say loud noises hurt your ears, just when you play your system loud. You didn't say this happened with your old system either. Play around with it a bit. Swap in some different speakers and see if your ears are still bleeding.
    "They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."
    Benjamin Franklin, February 17th, 1775.

    "The day that I have to give up my constitutional rights AND let some dude rub my junk...well, let's just say that it's gonna be a real bad day for the dude trying to rub my junk!!"
    messiah, November 23rd, 2010
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  • veerapaneni
    veerapaneni Posts: 112
    edited November 2010
    I am getting a Mac Amp Today. Will update you the results after that.
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  • Hawkeye
    Hawkeye Posts: 1,313
    edited November 2010
    That was one of the main reasons the S8's left my house. I could not listen for long or at a higher SPL. Quite disappointing since they sounded very nice at the shop using gear very close to mine.

    What amp are you getting?

    Gordon
    2 Channel -
    Martin Logan Spire, 2 JL Audio F112 subs
    McIntosh C1000 Controller with Tube pre amp, 2 MC501 amplifiers, MD1K Transport & DAC, MR-88 Tuner
    WireWorld Eclipse 6.0 speaker wire and jumpers, Eclipse 5^2 Squared Balanced IC's. Silver Eclipse PCs (5)
    Symposium Rollerblocks 2+ (16)Black Diamond Racing Mk 3 pits (8)
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  • nguyendot
    nguyendot Posts: 3,594
    edited November 2010
    Turn it to 11.
    Main Surround -
    Epson 8350 Projector/ Elite Screens 120" / Pioneer Elite SC-35 / Sunfire Signature / Focal Chorus 716s / Focal Chorus CC / Polk MC80 / Polk PSW150 sub

    Bedroom - Sharp Aquos 70" 650 / Pioneer SC-1222k / Polk RT-55 / Polk CS-250

    Den - Rotel RSP-1068 / Threshold CAS-2 / Boston VR-M60 / BDP-05FD
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 34,930
    edited November 2010
    common_sounds.gif
    http://63.234.227.130/dts/osta/otm/noise/images/common_sounds.gif

    Even short exposures to very loud sounds do permanent damage. Pete Townshend is nearly deaf.
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  • veerapaneni
    veerapaneni Posts: 112
    edited November 2010
    Hawkeye wrote: »
    That was one of the main reasons the S8's left my house. I could not listen for long or at a higher SPL. Quite disappointing since they sounded very nice at the shop using gear very close to mine.

    What amp are you getting?

    Gordon

    I tried Mac Amp which sounded Nice. I am going to try Parasound A51 next week and keep one of them. I went to Program over the weekend where they played loud music. I beleive this contributed to my problems.
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  • veerapaneni
    veerapaneni Posts: 112
    edited November 2010
    Off Topic, One thing i noticed with MCintosh Mc207 Amp is it lacks low level punch . Anthem P5 plays it good when compared to Mac. Waiting for Parasound A51. Can anyone give some opionion about this.
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  • hearingimpared
    hearingimpared Posts: 21,136
    edited November 2010
    TOOLFORLIFEFAN wrote: »
    That or it's to bright and/or too much distortion cause your pushing your system harder then it can handle..

    Turn it down...
    heiney9 wrote: »
    Sounds like gear or room issues or even the type of recordings/music you are listening to. That really isn't all that loud. Obviously more info about your set-up, room and listening habits are in order.

    On my rig I can listen to well recorded music for 6-8 hours or longer, around 88-95dB with zero fatigue, but if I put in Metallica after about an hour I'm done because it's recorded so poorly. So it could be a combo of things............that word SYNERGY comes to mind.

    H9

    I have to go along with Larry and Brock here. I listen typically at at least 95 db with >110 to 115 db peaks and I have no ear pain at all. Now my old ears might be not in peak condition as far as volume is concerned but my 13 year old and my wife both of who have very sensitive ears only complain about it causing any pain when I have it up over 100 db.
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  • veerapaneni
    veerapaneni Posts: 112
    edited November 2010
    Music at 95db is too loud for me. No matter what amp i used, it sounds harsh at these levels. I have 4 Amps with me which i am trying now including Anthem P5 and Mcintosh 207, they both sound harsh.
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  • messiah
    messiah Posts: 1,790
    edited November 2010
    veerapaneni wrote: »
    Music at 95db is too loud for me. No matter what amp i used, it sounds harsh at these levels. I have 4 Amps with me which i am trying now including Anthem P5 and Mcintosh 207, they both sound harsh.

    Try different speakers. I still think it's a spike in a certain frequency range that's causing the pain, not the decibel level. I know that they're pretty, but it might be those Paradigms.

    It's far more likely that the problem would be the speakers than the amp.
    "They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."
    Benjamin Franklin, February 17th, 1775.

    "The day that I have to give up my constitutional rights AND let some dude rub my junk...well, let's just say that it's gonna be a real bad day for the dude trying to rub my junk!!"
    messiah, November 23rd, 2010
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  • cokewithvanilla
    cokewithvanilla Posts: 1,777
    edited November 2010
    I auditioned some higher end paradigms and no matter what track, they were harsh enough to hurt my ears within seconds of listening. This was a McIntosh setup.
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 29,398
    edited November 2010
    Hmm - I turn it up to where I feel I am getting the best recreation of the given material - whether that by 60db or 100db
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 51,698
    edited November 2010
    veerapaneni wrote: »
    Music at 95db is too loud for me. No matter what amp i used, it sounds harsh at these levels. I have 4 Amps with me which i am trying now including Anthem P5 and Mcintosh 207, they both sound harsh.

    You seem stuck on the amp being the problem and while it could be, it is most likely a combination of things. I'll say it again, it all starts with the source, so what are you using?
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • Bobsama
    Bobsama Posts: 526
    edited November 2010
    cokewithvanilla wrote: »
    I auditioned some higher end paradigms and no matter what track, they were harsh enough to hurt my ears within seconds of listening. This was a McIntosh setup.

    Tubes, SS, or both?
    polkaudio Monitor 5 Series II
    polkaudio SDA-1 (with the SL1000)
    TEAC AG-H300 MK III stereo receiver
    beyerdynamic DT-880 Premium (600 Ω) headphones
    SENNHEISER HD-555 headphones
    Little Dot MK IV tube headphone amp
    Little Dot DAC_I balanced D/A converter
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  • Hawkeye
    Hawkeye Posts: 1,313
    edited November 2010
    veerapaneni wrote: »
    Off Topic, One thing i noticed with MCintosh Mc207 Amp is it lacks low level punch . Anthem P5 plays it good when compared to Mac. Waiting for Parasound A51. Can anyone give some opionion about this.

    McIntosh amps are not the Holy Grail for all people. My ears tell me they are an accurate amp. If you need more in the bottom end, then the Mac probably won't be it for you.

    I get my low level punch from my subs :biggrin:

    F1nut is asking you some valid questions about your gear. Why not outline what you have from A-Z to give us an idea where you're at?

    Gordon
    2 Channel -
    Martin Logan Spire, 2 JL Audio F112 subs
    McIntosh C1000 Controller with Tube pre amp, 2 MC501 amplifiers, MD1K Transport & DAC, MR-88 Tuner
    WireWorld Eclipse 6.0 speaker wire and jumpers, Eclipse 5^2 Squared Balanced IC's. Silver Eclipse PCs (5)
    Symposium Rollerblocks 2+ (16)Black Diamond Racing Mk 3 pits (8)
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