What is your listening level?

01-05-12: Cyclonicman
I find it amazing that many of you actually measure the db listening level. I guess I am missing something, since all of my life, I just turn up the volume to the level I enjoy. It may vary for different music, different days or even time of the day. May I ask, why some of you have the need to measure your listening level?"

I have a db meter for other reasons (hi fi related, of course), so a few times I just popped it up and measured out of curiosity. I assume everyone just turns it up to the level they enjoy same as you do.

my preference is peak spl's of about 85-90 db's. as Al points out....this would be an average and could vary based on the music itself.

My previous post was incorrect. Using a RadioShack meter, C weighting, Slow response...Peaks 85+ but satisfying average spls in the range of 78-82 dB. Listening to Van Morrison "Englightenment" as I mention these levels.

After a while you get a feel for when your system it "overplaying" the room. Much like Sebrof, I know by what reaches my ears when volume is too much for the recording. I don't pay attention to the level that much, but when I have checked out of curiosity I find I rarely have 85 dB peaks, and I listen almost exclusively to rock these days.

Go figure. :-)

Hi Al - I've been away for a few days. Yes, as you suspected, that 82dB figure is an average level, +/- 2dB, for recording engineers. Of course, peaks would be much higher. I was assuming the OP meant an average level. And I have also found, when I have turned on my SPL meter in rehearsals for fun, that the average level of most of what happens onstage is about that same amount, again peaks being much higher, and the softest things quite a bit lower. But the average would be somewhere around that 82dB figure, or not much lower, anyway.