What is the proper loudness for listening?

@bobbydd Wrote:

 

What is the proper loudness for listening?

Caution: The suggested maximum exposure is 115 dBA SPL for no more then 15 minutes. (Department of Labor bulletin #334). 😎

Mike

@ditusa 

Well, OK. When I worked as a baker in Eugene, our sole means of ventilation was  a small fan mounted in 3X3'  window. Standing over a mixer churning flour dust into the air all day, I was concerned about my respiratory health. I called OSHA  The first  thing the guy asked was "can you see across the room". With this question alone, he made it abundantly clear that the regulations (no doubt written by industry lobbyists and rubber-stamped by elected representatives on their payrolls) were a joke. As a consequence, I don't have a lot of faith in govt. guidelines. 

@bobbydd   I agree with everything you said. I was very loudness sensitive. I would turn my system down to the lowest acceptable level. I recommend everyone to try to do this. Save your hearing and enjoy your listening, don't try to impress or shake the roof off. 

There's a relationship between distance, volume, and reflected sound.  You can tell the difference between someone talking 3 feet away and someone yelling 50 feet away even if the volume is the same.  If what you're hearing sounds like someone playing an instrument 50 feet away but the volume sounds like it's 10 feet away that's an unrealistic element.  

In my house of stereo, 75 to 80 db is my range for a fully immersive experience. Less and I don't really "feel" it, and more is completely unnecessary and saves my hearing for more years of enjoyment.