worldind

iTrader: (17)

I'm not really bothered until bass gets into the mid 140s... not anymore anyway. High pitched tones still get me at low volumes though

Creamedweasel

No hearing means I don't have to listen to women bitch and moan. Welcome to the 130db+ club, the champagne is on the right.

matt_p

HAHA!!!! There has got to be some old people out there that have listened to some loud systems for years....how is there hearing?? lol

MTA

iTrader: (1)

I love my music loud...but I can still hear just fine... 18 years loud (im 34)
and still going...but then I dont listen extremely loud for long periods of time...

Dukk

Whoever mentioned that the level is frequency dependent has the right idea. 120db at 35hz isn't painful and nowhere near as damaging as anything 1000hz and up. 120db at 3500hz would probably make you **** yer pants.

Sinemeup

I work in a factory and I get 2 hearing exams a year... and everytime I ask them how I'm doing... so far so good... if I go to a concert, I wear earplugs... I'm not a huge fan of white noise... I have an unlce that has farmed for years, without any hearing protection, he's in his mid forties and since I was a kid the sentence I've heard from him the most is "WHATS THAT?" and from what I hear tinnitus is not a great thing to have when you're trying to sleep at night... I've heard of some people that have to play music to go to sleep, just so they can't hear their ears ringing... all I can say is when it hertz, either turn it down or plug in the plugs... music is great as long as you can hear it... and a useless tidbit for the day 120db is 1 trillion times louder than 0db... interesting

Tom.F.1

iTrader: (1)

I'm 47 and I have damaged my ears. I've had systems in about 5 different cars. The focal point for all the speakers in a car is usually right beside your right ear.
I'm losing hearing in my right ear.
My system is cabpable of over 130db, but i never play it that loud.
I don't blow speakers near as often as i used to.

Its not only car stereos that cause damage. I've been to hundreds of concerts and seen a lot more loud bar bands.

I've been exposed to loud noises at work. Power tools and hammers. I used to hunt. A 12 ga. shotgun is pretty loud, but the 3006 hurt more with the high frequency crack.. And again, always on the right side.

Yes, loud will cause damage. All you young guys who say it doesn't bother you, just wait. It all adds up. I was 42 before i realized it was causing permanent damage.

On the other hand, my old age will be peacefully quiet....

Just have to add more, can't resist.
Every one of my Alpine and Pioneer manuals has a warning in it about hearing damage. I think it's the pioneer one that says to keep the volume down, we want you listening for a lifetime.

Audiofool

interesting but sad to hear... i said i would not play music as loud but just got the system and i am still showing off Will try to keep it down tho... no efence but at the age of 42 or whatever you said i dont want to have ear lost:s.. right know as i am typing my ear is ringing... not a good sign... hehe

MIKEONE

every time you play your miusic loud, you can do irrepairable damage to your ears. damaging your ears can also cause a condition known as menieres syndrome which can cause persistent ringing in one or both ears as well as nausea and vomiting, so it can affect more than just your hearing, so lets hear it for sq!!!!

tg989

you need atleast 90db on a long-term basis to suffer a measureable amount of hearing damage (like, on an every-day basis for several weeks) or 130db of negligent-term to damage your hearing (i think those are rough averages, some people are more suceptible to hearing damage than others).

Now, as far as high-frequency db's and low-frequency db's you are still damaging your hearing just as much, however you are damaging that range of hearing.

If you listen to your subs at 135db at 40hz, you will be damaging your perception to that frequency, and fortunately, there isn't much use for that frequency perception on a day-to-day survival basis. 400hz on the other hand can be a bit of an issue if you start losing your hearing there seeing as its close to the average freuqency of a human voice. Above that and you are still damaging an important range for clarity perceptoin (sounds like everybody is mumbling after you go to a loud concert and sit infront of the speaker array full of compression horns...).

Most people with 140db+ systems (only in the low-end) will notice that they are far less sensitive to bass than the average individual. This is infact hearing damage. Thankfully its hearing that you really only use to listen to your subs and you can always buy more.

Ringing in your ears afterwards is not necessarily a sign of permanent damage, only your mind raising your reference point for noise (usually white-noise). Its when it doesn't ring after the same volume level that you know you have hearing damage.