What decibel level do you listen at? What is ideal?

Ideal db depends on genre of music and size of room. In below live recording, avg db is mid 80 and bit loud to me. DB meter is about 7ft from speakers. Room is 22’L x 13.5’w x 8’h. Alex/Wavetouch

Faded - Allen Walker

It is system and person dependent (highly age dependent).

The better my system the lower the required volume has been to sound great, after I got past my 20’s.

so now 65 - 75 db.

Just recently got a DB meter app; I live in an apartment and I sit about 8 feet from my speakers which are about 8 feet apart. What I considered 'loud' turned out to be between 40 and 55 db! And I play rock music, not ambient! 

70dBC for music with peaks into the 90s for the more dynamic material I listen to.

For multimedia outside of music, 80dBC with peaks nearing 100s so I wear some specialised earplugs during movies @polkalover 

75dB on the Quad57s. 85dB on the Spendors and RELs. 

Typically around 80db although the sweet spot varies depending on genre

67 to 72 for most.

Used a meter to test my main system.  Usually stays under 70.  Trying to save what’s left of my hearing. Wear ear plugs now at concerts. 

I prefer mid 90s (average) - lots of immersive energy and "you are there" presence, but not too much to be uncomfortable for a reasonable 1 - 2 hour session (with breaks). Don't listen daily, but really enjoy when I do. Never subjected my ears to loud concerts or guns (without ample protection), etc - doing fine so far. 

There is less chance I'm going to like the same things (gear and music) as say a 70dB listener lol. 

I listen at around 88-91dB in a smallish room and I never change the volume.  Once you set the correct volume for the room you don’t need to change it. And before anyone ask no it’s not dependent on the genre of music. The right volume IS the right volume for all music based on a particular source. 

@ghdprentice 

+1 …. Big time.

Setting aside the important factor invoked by one’s age , the better the  resolution capabilities provided by your audio system, the better the dynamics, slam, and audio presentation at even modest lower volume levels. and avoidance of fatiguing and/or irritating volume levels. 

I always check my decibel levels and always are in the mid to high 80s. 
B&W Matrix 800s. 

I have a phone app and an old Radio Shack Db meter. The Radio Shack seems to register higher. I usually land somewhere around 80dB +/- 5 Db. like @mulveling stated there is a point where the music comes alive. Sometimes that is more like 85 Db for me. And as resolution of the rig has improved lower levels can be pleasing too. BUT sometimes the music just needs to breath. I don’t drink alcohol when I listen to prevent stupidity with loudness. Age 70 with hearing aides. 

For me my listening levels vary all over the place, when I am listening late at night which I often do, levels are very low probably no more than 60-65 dbA. During the day, when there is not a concern about disturbing anyone, those levels can have 100 dbA peaks, though I never listen at those high levels for very long. Long term levels at loud volumes 80-90 dbA but even that is not continuous. Already sporting measurable hearing loss, I am trying not to make it any worse than it already is. That said, when I am practicing trombone, which I do almost daily, the SPL easily exceeds 100 db and while it is possible to reduce the level a little bit, its not easy to play much quieter than that.

For a free and immediately useful sound level meter please consider downloading one to your smartphone from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health. 

Simply go to your phone's App Store and search for:  sound level meter. There might be a number of options, but the NIOSH app is simple and can be trusted. 

Is this as good as a calibrated studio level device? No. But it's good enough to get a useable level reading to set a baseline or observation. 

When the wife is at home, 60-70. When she is gone, +80 🤣

I have no idea what decibel level I listen to music at. I simply adjust the volume to be suitable to how I feel at that moment and what genre of music I am listening to at the time.

65-70

I sit 8 ft from the Canton 9k reference stand mounted and SVS subs , my Listening db from 8 ft is in the lower 70ies with max. touching 80 db. If I go louder my ears will bleed. Full length Curtains behind gear, and in front on wall behind sitting position glass enclose large painting 3'x4' ish.Wall to wall carpet vaulted ceiling slopeing  low 8 to 16 feet high.

I very rarely go above 80 dB, and most of the time I linger in the high 60s. 

My system gets turned on around 6am, the house is asleep, keep it around 60-65db. 

Once everyone is up and about, kick it up to 75-80db. 

My system really wakes up around 90db, the sound stage gets huge, you can start to feel the bass, lots more dynamics.

Have had it up over 110db a few time, sounds great outside the house....

I find it funny that so many people listen at levels where their amps, even with very inefficient speakers, are barely putting out a watt or two or maybe 10 on peaks. What’s the point of having big powerful solid state monsters if that is so? 
 

Someone should make a high quality solid state amp that puts out 10 watts / channel but it seems that only Nelson Pass has the confidence to do so w/ his 25 watts class A amp & integrated amp & his First Watt products. There are many tube based amps that do so very well. 
 

For myself, if you don’t play great rock music, up loud at least 90db at your seat, you’re not getting the whole effect the artist intended to portray. “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” by the Stones up loud in a big room on a good system is an experience that is unforgettable. You understand what they were all about & how powerful yet nuanced their music was as well as many other great rock bands of that era. 

@larsman you should get an actual db meter.  There's almost no way you're actually listening that low.  Your app is probably messed up unless you like library volume level soft rock

@jonwolfpell I agree that listening loud with certain genres is a must (rock, edm) but I find on my systems, around 85 db is plenty loud before your ears start compressing

@isellgoodgear this would make sense if you're staying within the same genre and time period.  Otherwise the LUFS and overall loudness can vary wildly from track to track.  Or you're using loudness normalization which destroys streamed music dynamics.  Not sure how you keep your volume at the same level??

I listen usually 75-82 db and find that will get me the full content of the music.  As an audio engineer, my ears are my job and life so I don't monitor at 85 db like I used to.  It used to be the standard but now they're saying prolonged exposure of 80+ db can be bad for your ears.  For those that like to rock, I salute you, and recommend taking breaks and get hearing tests regularly!!

@livinon2wheels highly recommend you use plus while playing your trombone.  Cheaper solutions would be Loops or Earasers.  But if you're a serious musician go get some mid ear plugs from an audiologist.  Don't mess around with your ears!

I listen to large scale classical most of the time. In all cases my volume control is set and I never change it. Highest peak is 74db. 
Speakers are 7’ apart. I sit 8.5’ from them. At that level soundstage locks in and detail retrieval is excellent  

When listening to pop, jazz etc  and some soundtracks I need to lower the volume about 3-4db because of the hotter recording level. 

As before I listen at around 88-91dB in a smallish room BUT it doesn’t sound too loud because I’ve set the current room volume fur all types of music and NEVER adjust it. It’s not in anyway fatiguing. I can play music for hours any time of day. It sound heavenly. 

Thank you, @jrareform - I was wondering about that, too. Somebody else on the thread mentioned a good sound level meter app; I might try that one and/or some others.

I generally listen to my system an hour a day, based on when and who I want to listen to. The amp I am currently using from my rotation is so beyond what is needed to get the job done, but the cleanliness and headroom screams out to me "turn it up"...And YES, there IS a specific spl were you get to that "magical point" of the experience. +100 db peaks

@jonwolfpell I agree with "Can't You Hear Me Knocking". Have you ever listened to "A Tribute To Jack Johnson" by Miles Davis. 

70s to the 80s, like a nice Mediterranean climate. 

During video concerts, 113-115 db. Just like a REAL concert.... During movies, no idea, but its -18 to -20 on the volume of the Lyngdorf. The concerts are -2 to 2 above...

What would be ideal is if one were to listen at the same level that the engineer was listening at when he downmixed the track.  Then one would be subject to the same F-M curve and perceive the bass and treble in a similar context.

For some music, this can be quite loud.  Can your system recreate it?

@jrareform - if your room is sufficiently large & your speakers / amp combo can handle it, I find my ears start to overload around 103-105 peaks assuming the  music is well recorded. I listen at that level very occasionally just for laughs. I know my speakers/ amp combo can play all day louder than that undistorted as they are highly sensitive, can handle lots of power & I have a pretty powerful tube amp. 

@jonwolfpell

Having high power amps is not about the ultimate volume. It is about dynamics and transients. The more current the amp can provide improves the dynamics and solidity... especially in solid state amps. So, with all things equal a 350wpc amp will sound much better... solid and dynamic than a 250wpc or a 150wpc. While overall quality trumps just power... in sold state amps bigger is almost alway better... even at 75db.

About 65-75 Db. Maximum

+1 with @ketcham8 !!

nothing better than when I have a block of solid time home alone.

Mine is around 60 to 70. I push to 80-85 when rockin the system.

Ghdprentice -are you telling me that a high quality solid state amp that can put out 300 watts / channel will sound better than a high quality 100 watt / channel amp when they’re only driving an 89 db sensitive speaker to level of 70 db’s & thus not even using a watt of power? I have my real doubts as does Nelson Pass & thus his believe that class A amps sound better when putting out lower wattage as do high quality low power amps ( his First watt line) w/ the right speakers at reasonable volumes. If you’re actually using 40 or 50 watts average & thus peaks of of a few hundred watts, then I would think the higher power would sound better. 

My longtime experience tells me that the size and quality of the amps power supply has the greatest effect on what we hear, keeping in mind, the amp is of good design. I personally experienced this when I purchased my Krell KSA 100 upon its introduction, while owning several other amps rated at 200wpc. At half the rated power of the others, it quickly became "my baby", as it took me to another level in overall listening enjoyment, with all my music, at all my playing levels and with many brands and models of speakers. I am sticking to my story, still today. 

@jonwolfpell  agreed, Pass designs like my XA30.8 are totally sufficient at lower wattages even for higher spl listening.  I also have subs which really helps take the strain off the amps.  I've blasted it loud as hell and haven't seen the needle move.  I would say though "powerful" is relative and there are other things than wattage to consider like toroidal capacity and how much amperes it's rated for.  Along with so many other things... although some inefficient speakers DO really need that extra juice @ghdprentice and from the same manufacturer, yes more wattage is typically better for inefficient speakers and also has to do with other things like ohm load and impedence matching with the preamp to the amplifier

@larsman I meant more like a physical one - check out BAFX spl meter on amazon or wherever you care to shop.  It has served me well and is not expensive.  My friends phone can be wildly off vs an actual calibrated meter.  Best of luck to you!  I'm always curious myself at volumes but if you're listening quietly it doesn't matter that much.  Your ears will tell you when it's getting loud

Thank you again, @jrareform - yes, I see they are about $17; I'll order one - I've got loads of Amazon points! 

@jonwolfpell 

Yes. That is exactly what I am saying. 

I have never been a fan of Carver. But I remember decades ago him doing a demo of the sound of (I think this is right) a set of scissors cutting a piece of paper. He was able to measure the near instantaneous power demand to reproduce this sound (as opposed to normal gauges that are long term averages in comparison). Any the really large amp clipped during the snip, restricting the dynamics of the sound reproduction. 

That is the logical side. Then I have heard multiple versions of the same amps with the same speakers... and they sound better... so that is holding all other things constant. This have always been solid state amps. We are talking normal speakers... sensitivity 82 db to 96db. I have never played with 100db sensitive speakers... there could be some down side with speaker that sensitive. 

For the amp power levels question - I don’t even know anymore lol. Sure with "all else being equal", more power is better. But unfortunately in this hobby, there is abosolutely never an "all else being equal" scenario! Some specific scnearios I’ve experienced, which makes it impossible to correlate (or not correlate) sound quality to power:

• I now have some restored Eico HF-22 tube amps, rated a paltry 22 Watts, that sound like heaven into any 91dB+ speakers. Even at my preferred (loud) SPL volumes, they'll spank most higher-powered amps, to my preferences.
• Several years ago I (briefly) had the Carver Sunfire Signature 600 II amp (600 Watts / 1200 @ 4 ohms) and at least to me - it sounded like the sonic equivalent of rubbing broken glass on my face. 
• My favorite amps - at any price - are the high-end, high-powered VACs - Master and Statement lines. These amps also sound significantly better than VAC’s lower-powered, lower-tier amps - but there are many more differences than JUST the power, so it can’t be isolated to just that. But wow - it's quite frustrating going from the Signature amps to Master / Statement line amps, if you ever have to go back to the former. 

It’s quite possible that some amps designs / topologies simply sound better when scaled up a lot in power. But then others...don’t. The Eico is an an example of an amp that sounds "good to the last Watt" (lots of focus on the "First Watt", but this can be important too). Others amp may require gobs of headroom to say out of a trouble zone. And some amps will just sound bad to you with your speakers, no matter what!

I would be very curious to hear an A/B demo of a variety of speakers only playing at lower volumes, say 70 db, with both high quality , high power solid state amps vs high quality, low powered tube amps. I would not be surprised if the for the first few watts ( maybe that many on peaks at that low volume) , the tube amps sound better, fuller, richer & more 3 dimensional. 

@jonwolfpell

That’s the best way to learn. Find yourself a friendly dealer. Over the last forty years I have always been friends with at least one dealer. I might propose a question like this and he would know the answer and set up a demo for me, or if he didn't know, then say, "well, let's find out". The dealers I have been friends with have been enthusiasts first and business owners second. 

I would recommend using a one set of good quality speakers that you are familiar with... if you swap amps and speakers you get too many permutations really fast. You could easily use Pass X150.8 and X350.8, for instance. 

For jamming rock mid 80s to mid 90 peaks ,

easy listening in the mid 70s , late night maybe high 60s 

Between 80 and 90 dB C-weighted on Decibel X iPhone app. Can't feel the bass much below that.

This app monitors the session and gives an estimate of how long before ear damage occurs. Keeping it below 90 dB pretty much allows you to listen for hours.

80db+ is typical for me at my listening position which is 12ft from my stacked large Advents.

@audioamy +1  Double Advents!

Flashback to my college days. Great speaker(s).