Are your listening levels healthy? Doing damage?


Do you know decibel levels when listening to your system, and how loud do you go?

Since upgrading my system, again, I find my listening levels have tended to increase. Not because I'm slowly going deaf but because it's more enjoyable.

I measured the decibel level with a few iPad Apps, and there was lots of disparity. Plus or minus 25 dB. 

Certainly if it's too loud I sense things are not healthy but I'd really like to know how loud things are since Google tells me prolonged listening above 70 dB could be damaging my hearing.

The apps on an iPad are clearly unreliable and now I have to contemplate spending several hundred dollars for a sound meter as well as a calibration device so I can know what my limits are and so I can be in compliance with Google.

Anyone know a good sound meter, and do most serious listeners get one of these things?

 

emergingsoul

@macg19 "However there is no way to actually measure the frequency of the tinnitus tone that I am aware of."

Actually, I found it pretty simple. i sat down with a set of headphones,  with the amp hooked to a signal generator. I simply adjusted the tone frequency in the headphones until it matched what was in my head. In my case, that was about 9 KHz. 

I've had tinnitus for 30+ years now. The ENT I saw told me it was likely ear damage dating back to the 1970s when I was a concert sound engineer.  The follicles in the ear are each thought to be tied to an individual brain cell, and when the hairs are damaged, the brain cells end up disconnected and bored, and make their own noise, kind of like a bored kid drumming their fingers.  No idea if that's actually the case, but it does make sense to me. I've got my noise constantly when I'm awake but have learned to live with it, just as I've adapted to all the other aches, pains and disfunction I've acquired as I've moved into my 70s.

@mlsstl clever idea. 
 

@moonwatcher I’m setting up an appointment with a doc that offers the Lenire device.

Not covered by insurance yet - $5,500 and the treatment period is 12 weeks. Not convinced yet but I’m going to hear the pitch (pun intended)

@macg19 That's expensive, but less than a hearing aid. In the three clinical trials I read about with the Lenire device, about 87% said it improved their symptoms.  Now, how "much" it improved their perception of it I don't know. Hopefully your doctor can clue you into his own experience with it and his patients. Good luck! 

I live in NC and so far, no place around here offers it. But I'll keep hoping. 

I am lucky, i never went to any rock/pop concert young ... Younger i listened only classical not even jazz as i do now too..

My hearing is good for my age i tuned by ears my 100 helmholtz resonators in my acoustic room ...😊

Any big noise exceeding 85 db made me mad and i run....

The last live concert i goes was in a small room and amplified, it made me sick...

i will listen ONLY to my audio system till my death ...

When there is public pop music concert in street festivities i change my walking course... I dont understand crowds... 😁