How loud are you typically listening?

In my 20`s 1968 I would make sure I was very very high by the time I got to the concerts  and would get a seat very close to the speaker columns.  After the concerts my ears would be ringing for a week, in the car blasting music, at home getting very very high blasting away at the time I was in to the Bose 901`s series 2`s the louder you crank the better they sound.  At 29 yrs. of age I began to ask people to repeat there statement. I realize my ears were damaged common sense which I didn`t have should have told me to turn down. By my 54th birthday I had serious hearing problems I then decided I needed to turn down I`m now 75yrs young and my listening levels are 9-10. You guys that`s constantly cranking beware you are hurting self you`ll find that out in the later years.  

"What?!  I can't read you!  My eyeballs are vibrating!" *L*

Loud enough on occasion and selection, but I'll listen to Spotify while working at the 'puter.  Then it's just 'motivational levels' on a smaller system.
It's when the mains are up, things get 'noisy' *G*

Normal, concentrating listening is in the mid 70s to low 80s. Occasionally louder, often quieter if I'm multitasking.

Looks like comfortably loud is about 74.  But, I usually have it around 67.  I'll sometimes turn it up for a song or two, but only to around 80... 

+1 arcticdeth
And thank you spinal tap.

60db in the 13' x 13' room I use is plenty. that's about No4 on the dial. Any more than about 70db and you can feel the base through the sofa :^)

I have not used the Radioshack SPL meter for more than 10 years although I still have it somewhere in the house. The last I did the measurements, it was in the range of 65-75dB average, 80-95dB for brief periods when I felt like turning it up.

These days my listening habits have changed. I now listen at much lower volumes, and I can do this all day long. Typically 50-65dB with peaks hitting 75dB. Apart from getting older where loud music doesn’t quite excite me anymore, I partly attribute the lower level listening to my improved system as well. It now sounds crystal clear with all the details coming through even at low to moderate levels. In the past, I have to turn up the volume to hear the detail which either got lost in the background or wasn’t reproduced by the gear / speakers. The sound is usually slightly muffled or the clarity is not very good when the volume is low with the substandard gear.

Depends on what genre of music. Acoustic guitar 65 to 70. Jazz 70ish. Steely Dan 75 to 85. AC/DC 90+. 

I try to keep it under 80 db on average to avoid hearing loss. 

Pretty rare for me to really blast it.

I have two sets of speakers.  Klipsch Heresy IIs and Paradigm Studio 70s, A/B to same integrated amp.

I would guess usually less than 80 dB 98% of the time.

If we are moving around the first floor doing stuff outside the  living room or TV room, I might crank it up a bit more. 

65 to 75 dB is considered normal to high level for me.  I do find myself listening more often now at mid 50's dB.

I have tinnitus for about 15 years.   It stays constant most of time, but it does flare up from time to time.   It was very scary in the early years during flare ups, but they all eventually came back down to normal level.    Nowadays I have faith that it will eventually go back down.

@mtbiker29 

Thanks for the Niosh app heads up.  I just put it on my iphone and with no calibration turned it on.  My music room ambient level is 18.5 db(A).
I know the room is very quiet (tons of sound proofing) but I didn't expect it to be that quiet.  At that low a level just a slight burble in my stomach made it jump up to ~26 db(A).  The new iphones are certainly sensitive,
who knows about the accuracy though. 

OP,
Listened to Santana Abraxsas: "Singing Beasts, Crying Winds" and then into "Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen" and played at my normal loud level for rock and the app showed mostly bouncing in the high 70s and peaked at nearly 90.  Seemed about right. 

Regards,
barts
  

I never checked the sound pressure level before — just set volume at comfortable level.  I just downloaded a SPL app to check it.  My ambient room noise level is around 17dB.

I am a quieter listener unless I am using headphones.  At night, I listen around 25-30 dB . . there is a local oldies station that I enjoy.  At mid-day now, I prefer 50-60 dB, with some peaks up to 70 dB.   75 dB and higher is too loud for me unless I am in another room or having a party.   I don’t know how people manage 90 dB for any length of time — sounds offensive to me.  My usual listening position is about 12 feet away from the main speakers.

At a cinema, I often think the sound is too loud, especially the music.  Would prefer to hear actors’ speech without all the loud music. 

@bob540 
My wife and son love all the Marvel comic book movies and go whenever they get the chance.  I grudgingly agreed to go (prior to covid) and I am still happy I brought "yellow squishes" ear protection with me.
I couldn't even take the coming attractions, blocked up them ear canals right away with my yellow buddies.  And I bring them to all concerts as well.  
Here is an interesting $$$ alternative to squishes:
https://www.earasers.net/collections/musicians-hifi-earplugs

Regards,
barts

For easy listening night 70-75 db 
R&R 95-100 peaks  for short periods, rock on average 85-90 db 
the better the room is treated less reflections ,the better the focus 
also ,and better bass balanced in a room takes some work because of nulls. I use monitors with subs ,then usb Mike and bass programs truly work ,has bass traps, 1st reflection ,rugs and 
ceiling treatment all add to the accuracy ,for hard rooms can be a mess with too many reflections ,especially glass drapes,rubs,plants all help. You can over damp a room also if it is lifeless many hours to get tuned right especially if you need more then a 2 seat soundstage area.

I second millercarbon’s point. “Supertramp loud” is the level where it sounds the best. 

Dear friends : The most critical and precious audio instrument in our room/system are each one of us the whole ears that we need/have to take care always because damages on it are irreversible.

Normally I listen at 74db-83db and only when I'm testing/evaluating/comparing some audio items I listen briefly at over 90db with peaks at over 100db and in those tests I listen after the high SPL at low SPL around 62db-70db.

High constant SPL always makes and damages the ears sensitivity and even not so high SPL with a system with high distortions levels can do the same with out we can be aware: here the culprit are those high distortions levels more than the SPL.

So I think that we have try to put at minimum any kind of developed distortions in each one of us room/system.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.

Sitting in my quiet house my phone DB meter reads 37. With TV on it goes to 65.  My burp registered at 71. 😊

In my car with radio on it registers around 60.

Have not fired up my 70s system yet.

I sit 8' from my speakers in a mid-sized room with good treatments.
I like to start at 55db-per the iPhone app meter- and top out at 70 db.
Mean being 68db.  If something can't sound good at these levels
it is out. 
Each song will usually require adjusting + or- to suit me but
then again I have my "Best Of" playlist and nobody records at the
same level it seems.

I spend more time than I should with a violin screaming in my left ear.

Eh? what did you say?

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. 

The frequency response of our ears changes with volume. Every recording has a volume it sounds best at. If you push a recording that was mixed at lower volumes it will get bright and harsh. If you play a recording mixed at high volumes at low levels it will sound dull and bass-less. I will play the record at the volume it sounds "right" at.

You NEVER want your ears to ring. Ringing indicates damage. Our ears accommodate to loud sounds but the reflex is slow which is why impulse noises like gun shots are so bad for our ears. If you are going to listen loud it is important to warm your ears up by starting at a lower volume and raising it in increments over a five to 10 minute period. I'll listen to some recordings at 95 dB. Higher than that is risky.

Here is a good benchmark:

 

 

30dB

Extremely quiet control rooms
Silence in a library or in a clothing warehouse

40dB

Silence at home
Calm countryside at night

50dB

Background hum of daytime in the woods
Whispered conversation
Listening to music at night
A fridge at home

60dB

Normal conversation in a room
Background noise in an office on a working day
Soft and comfortable listening to music
Music playback in a car

70dB

Loud and comfortable listening to music at home
Radio, TV or a vacuum cleaner
Too loud music playback in a parked car with its engine running
Average levels of a live concert in a hall (rock or classical)

80dB

Dishwasher
Passing truck or train
Screaming kids at home
Very loud music playback at home
Classical concert in an open venue

90dB

Lawn mower
Unbearable music level in a car
Loud rock concert in a closed small venue (like a club)
Classical concert in a concert hall
Aircraft landing from 200 meters

100dB

A tractor, helicopter or racing car from 10 meters
Loud rock concert in a closed venue
Hand drill
Underground traffic (subway)

Thanks for all the great replies.  I am extremely jealous of those who have truly quiet rooms.  My C weighted background level is 54dB;  A weighted is 30dB.  I live within a mile of an interstate highway entrance/exit with three truck stops.  I don't hear it, but I believe I have a build up of low frequency sounds that skew the C weighted measurement.

Happy listening!

When I went to see a trumpet concert in a small setting I brought my dB meter.  All the other people were holding up cell phones, I was holding up my dB meter!
  Average levels were 85-95dB. A trumpet is one of the louder instruments.
 At home I try to reproduce acoustic music and soft jazz at realistic live levels which I play at 80-85dB.  I believe 75dB is the recommended number.  For my birthday or New Years I sometimes just have to crank up some Led Zeppelin to 95-100dB for just a few songs.  After awhile it doesn't sound that loud and you want to turn it up louder!  Be careful!!
I am a semi professional drummer so obviously I know how live drums sound. Bass drum/Timpani 106dB, crash cymbal 113dB, toms 110dB, snare 120dB, snare with rimshot 125dB.  Average dB 112-119db at the drummers seat.  Other live instruments:  
Normal piano 60-70dB, Fortissimo piano 84-103dB, flute 92dB, violin 82-92dB.  

Forgot, live acoustic guitar 60-80dB.

130db. I like reproduction of jet fly overs. lol

85dB sounds lifelike to me. This SPL is safe for up to 8 hours. 

I’ve always tried to avoid prolonged exposure to loud noises, even when I was young. In spite of that care, I have significant tinnitus…I can hear the ringing in my ears over fairly loud traffic noise on my commute. Although my room is reasonably quiet, fairly high playback levels are required to stop the constant ringing from interfering with listening enjoyment.

If the spectral content of the music has plenty of energy at the frequencies where I hear ringing, I can enjoy average levels in the mid-70 dB range (C-weighted, slow integration). Otherwise, I have to be closer to 90 dB to not be distracted by tinnitus.

Normally 80 -90.
When we have guest over or just when enjoying Video concerts I’ll listen to 110’ish ( at 10 feet from MLP) for an entire DVD. I like to be inside the music, and I love the impacts of live sets. Your ears ring a little afterwards but it makes me smile ... I still race cars (NHRA Superstock) so I’m around "loud" most weekends during the summer months anyway...Don’t preach to me about safety precautions. My brother is a ex corporate safety manager so I know all the risk And BTW, he’s with me every step of the way. He’s 70 and I’m 65.... too late to worry about things that I enjoy now....

Not always, but often, just before the clipping LED's come on.

60-80......but when the stars align....90
but not often

@tcutter,Very good point.Anywhere from 70-82db at 9 feet away from speaker. For me this depends on the quality of the music and recording itself.

If you're exposed to 85 dB on an 8-hour time-weighted average at work, your employer has to get you a baseline audiogram, have a hearing conservation program, get you an annual hearing test, and make hearing protection available to you.  At a 90 dB 8-hour TWA, your employer must require you to wear hearing protection.  But that's just to be legal.

So the magic number to avoid hearing damage is really 85 dB for any extended period.  You should avoid 110 dB to avoid serious damage.  At 140 dB, you WILL do serious mechanical damage to the inner ear.

This concludes your NIOSH-sponsored PSA for the day.  

I’ve been reading this thread with interest. I’ve wondered at what volume level typical Audiogon forum members listen to their music. In reading these responses, it’s clear that many of us are in a similar ‘range’, but there are definitely some who like much higher SPLs. To those who say “If it’s too loud, you’re too old”, I’ll tell you that I said those same exact words when I was young. It’s funny, but in reality, it’s not a good phrase to live by if you care about preserving your hearing. My hearing would surely be better if I’d been easier on my ears. And to those who are older, listen loudly, and still have no hearing issues, I’ll tell you that you are very lucky, and you’re the exception. I’m 56 years old and I can still bench press over 400 pounds consistently. That’s not meant to boast, but rather to provide an example that we are not all lucky enough to have the genetics (or whatever) to endure a lifetime of loud music and still hear “young”. This post is mostly aimed towards younger people who read that someone is 65 years old, listens loud, and still has great hearing. That’s awesome, but not the norm, so be careful. Not trying to preach, btw... I’m just trying to help ;)

Me too. Screw preservation. No one ever called their family and closest friends to say their last good-bye’s with, "And my one regret, if only I had turned the volume down."

Typically 80 to 85dB. Sometimes loader up to 90-95dB.
Late night 65-70dB.
Depends from kind of music and if other family members are in home :-)

Warning, you don’t have to listen like you’re replicating the old memorex poster. It’s bad for your ears. 65db is loud enough. 

Music is therapy. Concerts can be therapeutic.
When i therapeutically need Rip This Joint or Communication Breakdown the decibel level is irrelevant ...however many db that ends up being.
Time is best kept short at those levels, and I’m thrilled to learn that I have about 3-4 hours before I hit the auditory danger zone (admittedly, I fell asleep one night with a  bluray edition of Close To The Edge c/w  extras clocking over 6 hours.....ears rang for days but equilibrium was regained...!)
Standing waves are my main limiting factor when twisting that dial....

Just turned it way down and it went under 100db.
I enjoy it louder and never have had an ear problem. I will probably keep it less loud going forward.  Thanks for the post.

low volume for me, not sure why audiophiles like loud. 
I am about to build a  david Louis 10 inch full range + titanium tweet, now i can add a  bit more gain. 
My Thors sound great but need a  larger room size for added gain. My Thors will match any speaker under $2k, but I'm betting my new project of Davidlouis full range will beat out the Thors, so I can add some gain and still not sound aggessive in my smallish room 10X12 8 ft ceiling. 
But loud? Why? whats the point. There is a threshold where audiophiles go over, not sure why? whats the point <<loud>>????

@tcutter,Very good point.Anywhere from 70-82db at 9 feet away from speaker. For me this depends on the quality of the music and recording itself.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yes agree, if i am really into say Schnittke or Pettersson and feel like blowing the mind, I'll crank it up a  tad, as there are passages quiet, , but then gets very active. Schnittke can go from hardly audible then same score, blasting horn section. If the recording has quality i'll give a  gain on the vol. 
But mostly I am reading (yes dif to study and hear(= Really listen)  Schnittke same time
So my vol usually stays at background level,,and I have a  100 pure watt Jadis Defy7 amp, hardly using much of that power for sure. 
But that could change with my next new project, addinga DavidLouis Full Range, say in July. Just spent $1500 upgrading my Thor speakers. 

I'd recommend that everyone begin listening at lower levels, especially in the morning to take care of their ears. Remember that hearing damage can't be repaired.

I just hit 105 dB for just a short period to see what these Sound Labs speakers would do. They certainly have more in them but I don't.
If you warm your ears up slowly 95 dB is not a problem for most of us but for some of us it will be.

 All of us develop presbycusis as we get older, our high frequencies roll off. At 65 you are very lucky to be able to hear 16kHz. Fortunately, you probably would not really notice you had a problem until you drop below 10 kHz. Music is still very much enjoyable. Those who are going to be in trouble and really need to be careful are already going to have an unusual amount of loss by 65. If you want to know get an audiogram done. 

All music has a "right" volume level. If you have loudness compensation you can change that volume to some degree.  Then there is that visceral component in music that is missing at lower volumes and with systems that do not get very low down. This is the component that makes live performances such a trip.

Mozartfan, you listen in a closet? What is the point? You'll have to ask a higher authority about that. Why do guys like loud cars and motorcycle? Probably a display of power. Is music the same thing? You need to attend a Nine Inch Nails concert. Just don't get too close to the front.

Warm up your ears, nicely put @mijostyn, 16kHz is the best scenario for younger ages.

G 

I can speak to the specific case of Classical music. I usually set the volume so that the peak crescendo hits roughly 86db on my RadioShack sound pressure meter. I find this seems to mimic a real world concert listening experience.  This puts the softer sections down in the 50-60db level. 

Indeed. One of my favorite moments at a concert is when everyone pulls out their SPL meters to check the crescendo level. I look around at the readings and this way know where to sit for next time. But then at home I worry, am I setting the volume for where I like it way in back? Or should it be higher for where the recording engineer thought the level should be? These problems worry me so much I can never enjoy classical.

Depends on the music, but the loudest is just under the distortion level.