Hearing loss Temporary or more permanent?

My piano is 85 db (playing at normal velocity).

I find anything under 83 db to be non-realistic and non-involving. That said, I can listen to volumes lower in the mornings (even 75db) and be engaged, but after a day's work (office work, nothing loud), I need 85-90 db for the same involvement.

Why use C weighting on DB meter instead of A weighting? I thought A weighting was intended for audio systems that as it considers broader frequency range?

Elizabeth said in a post about her stupid tweaks on AA

"I was listening to Telarc Carmina Burana And the dynamic range with a Rat shack meter was from 55 C weight up to 93dB C weight without changing the volume knob. That is way more than I ever heard from this setup. miraculous is all I can say. And clarity. I can hear each voice in the chorus. More solid lows... And all with PRAT too."

Then she said,

"Flipping the meter dial is not exactly perfect. The softest sound from the CD was around 55dB "C" weighted, and the loudest climax was around 93dB "C" weighted.
CD maximum is 96dB this is less than half of that. 96 minus 55 is (drum roll) 41dB of dynamic range, which is well under the best CDs of over 50 dB of dynamic range.
If you stopped listening to toothbrushed trash, you might find a Cd you own that has some actual dynamic range in it".

And then you said in this thread,

"The long term listening should be no more than 80dB. at your listening position.
I would first crank the system up to your favorite level then check it. If you are in the 90's that is why your hearing is being destroyed. If 100Db, run.
Right now i am listening to opera, and i like it loud. So my RatShack meter sez 77dB 'C" peaks and the average is around 65 or below. And this is IMO loud.
I personally maintain one can learn to listen at lower levels and love it. i never usually play stuff this loud, but i love opera and want it loud to my ears. So the 77dB peaks. I just never play LOUD.
A Radio Shack meter is also useful when auditioning equipment. I used it to adjust the levels of stuff at the dealer. The majority of dealers crank stuff way up. I want it at the levels i am gonna use it.
Elizabeth (Threads | Answers | This Thread)"

So which one is it Elizabeth?

" If you are in the 90's that is why your hearing is being destroyed."

or is it?

"I was listening to Telarc Carmina Burana And the dynamic range with a Rat shack meter was from 55 C weight up to 93dB C weight without changing the volume knob."

Bob

Great advice one and all, though there is nothing absolute, as this thread shows.
Going back to the OP's: "now that it clean I'm listening louder", the same happened to me with my newer, present system. No matter what level I played it at, it sounded great. But, likes Elizabeth pens, a lower volume is now all I need for satisfaction since its so clean sounding. Everything is coming through, even the dynamics and ooomph factor. Yes, I do like it a bit louder, and do so when the neighbors are away (below me-damned apartment life) but its no longer necessary.
I think if you dial it back a bit and 'listen' to it you'll find it enough.

Re A & C weighting: A-weighting is contoured to replicate the hearing sensitivity data of Fletcher and Munson; C-weighting is essentially flat. So you might use the A scale to estimate how loud a sound is and the C scale to determine its level. For hearing protection considerations, I'd use the C scale. Sharp onset acoustic events have broad frequency distribution even though the steady state event might be narrow.

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