How loud do you like to play your music?

I listen on average about 80-85 db, with peaks close to 90.

I thought this was rather low, but it seems people lower than that.

Using my iPhone SPL meter (greetings Albert) I occasionally get 90-98 DB peaks. The rest is in the high seventies to mid eighties.

I personally compare SPL meters akin to the utterly useless
buzzes and beeps I have in my car, I do not need a beep
to tell me my seat belt is undone, nor do I feel the need for a gadget to tell I am listening at 86.3692963db, my listening levels is all done with my shell likes, either side of my head, if it is too loud, I just hit the remote and decrease the quality, if it is too quiet I hit the opposite button and just make it louder. I do like to fill my room with sound (13'x27') during the day as I am not going to annoy anyone (other than the dogs) I use my Oris 150's, but not at a level that gives me any ear ringing or causes my ears to bleed. In the evening (late) I use my single cone speakers and sit perhaps 12' from them, as opposed to my 25' listening positioning during the day.
More power to you if you feel the need to use a SPL meter, I just don't see the need. Music where instruments are plugged in should be played Medium to loud.
Rage Against The Machine played quietly? Nah.

More power to you if you feel the need to use a SPL meter, I just don't see the need. Music where instruments are plugged in should be played Medium to loud.

I lived very well without my SPL too, but going WAY back I've always had the Radio Shack meter around to verify home theater voicing, checking individual drivers for equal output, reporting to others about how loud a hum or buzz is from a transformer that's supposed to be quiet and even measuring the SPL from various record cleaning machines to see if "quietness" claims are accurate.

I even use it occasionally to prove to my wife that a favorite restaurant is probably in violation of OSHA on Saturday evening :^), for amusement if nothing else.

SPL meters are like speedometers on cars, we all know when we're driving way too fast, but it's nice to know how much over.

Gawdbless,
I could not agree more.
For heavens sake, SPL meters are for AR types. It is a nice toy, if one feels so inclined, but hardly for a serious system set up. Used nothing but my ears. Those, though imperfect maybe, are the judges after all. What sounds right to them is fine and to hell with all measurements.
I am all for an Epicurean lifestyle.
But then, I am also all with Albert, as a toy they are way nice, those SPL meters.
Happy measuring, happy listening,
Detlof