How loud do you listen to your music?

I typically listen about 90 to 95 db SPL continuous and on a good recording I may listen even higher (closer to 100 db SPL). Rarely do I listen to anything but very briefly at 105 db SPL (average rock concert levels). All these are at the listening positio, roughly 12 feet back from the speakers.

Some may think this is excessive, however

1) human hearing has a 120 db dynamic range...if you play at 60 db SPL (close to the typical ambient noise floor of 30 db SPL) then you will almost certainly miss details in the music. (Dynamic range is critical to music, the contrast is what provides much of the emotion and feel. Realistic levels of dynamic range, without distortion, is often what most distinguishes real live music from playback)

2) Ever heard a live orchestra/band play as soft as an average level of 60 db SPL....?

From the occupational standpoint, the following standards apply.

The OSHA standard for occupational noise allows for up to 90dBA for an 8 hour time period without hearing protection.

Employers are required to offer hearing protection at 85dBA. Professionally I advise employers to make protection mandatory at 85dBA.

A good rule of thumb is when you have trouble hearing a person talking to you at a normal conversational voice, you have exceeded the 85dBA.

Hi Tboooe -

Paste the link below into your browser and scroll down...hoepfully you will see the table of db ratings for different things.

http://www.glenbrook.k12.il.us/GBSSCI/PHYS/CLASS/sound/u11l2b.html

This one says normal conversation is 60 db
A Vacuum cleaner is 80 db

Does your SPL have any sort of calibration function? I've been interestd in purchasing one...I take it RS = Radio Shack? What sort of $ should I expect to lay out?

Thanks,
GH

"Loud" means different things depending on the situation and the music. If you like in an apartment 70dB is probably loud. I live in a rural house with no houses in close proximity. If I am playing Sousa marches on the fourth of July 90dB with higher peaks is not loud.

Thanks for the response everyone. Just answer a few of the questions: I used a Radio Shack analog SPL meter set to C weighting and "slow" response. My reasoning is that I wanted to get a decent nominal reading, as I am not so much interested in the peaks.

As for the posters who said they listen at 80-100...all I can say is that seems VERY loud to me. Maybe I have really sensitive ears, but I could not imagine being able to enjoy music at those levels.

I also agree that the volume has to be up to a certain level in order to not miss finer details.

Based on the responses so far, it seems that I may be listening at relatively low volumes compared to other people.