120db+Great subject! I’ve played music professionally for 35 years. Madison Square Garden, etc. Stage volume frequently was at 120db, which is terrible for your ears, of course. Those highest levels were usually in big bars. I use hearing protection or in-ears to the extent possible. Cilia (the little hairs in your ear canal) die and do not regrow, back, resulting in hearing loss. My #1 tip for upcoming musicians is to protect your hearing.
That being said, most of you can probably listen louder than you are without hearing loss. You’ve paid a fortune for your systems, so use them!
Here are NOSHA’s (National Occupational Safety & Health Administration) safety standards. A shotgun is bad because your ears don’t have time to react, but your ears can handle constant noise pretty well. Charts vary, but basically, here are the standards:
90db. 8 hours
95db 4 hours
100db 2 hours
105db 1 hour
110db 30 minutes
115db 15 minutes
Remember the volume doubles every 7 db, so 95db is twice as loud as 87db.
Protect your hearing, yes! But, if your favorite song comes on, crank it up. If you want a real movie experience, 100db peaks are no problem - as long you enjoy it.
I’ve played more 4 hour bar gigs in the 100-120db range than you can imagine. Too frequently with no hearing protection. I’m 53 next month, and my hearing is okay - not perfect, but not too much loss in hearing tests (it’s been a while, but some high frequency 15db losses). Watching loud movies at home on your killler system is going to be fine.
That being said, most of you can probably listen louder than you are without hearing loss. You’ve paid a fortune for your systems, so use them!
Here are NOSHA’s (National Occupational Safety & Health Administration) safety standards. A shotgun is bad because your ears don’t have time to react, but your ears can handle constant noise pretty well. Charts vary, but basically, here are the standards:
90db. 8 hours
95db 4 hours
100db 2 hours
105db 1 hour
110db 30 minutes
115db 15 minutes
Remember the volume doubles every 7 db, so 95db is twice as loud as 87db.
Protect your hearing, yes! But, if your favorite song comes on, crank it up. If you want a real movie experience, 100db peaks are no problem - as long you enjoy it.
I’ve played more 4 hour bar gigs in the 100-120db range than you can imagine. Too frequently with no hearing protection. I’m 53 next month, and my hearing is okay - not perfect, but not too much loss in hearing tests (it’s been a while, but some high frequency 15db losses). Watching loud movies at home on your killler system is going to be fine.