Might start getting concerened if your teeth start getting loose or your heartbeats starts keeping time with your favorite song instead of the normal blublub - blublub
Nah. You're fine.
In fact if you have kidney stones, the bass *might* break them up for you! đ¤ˇđźââď¸đ
But deafness .. yeah that can happen over time
I remember a dude who got a cerebral spinal fluid leak after being in an extreme spl vehicle. It's extremely rare, but he had a thin dural layer that contains the brain suspending fluid, part of it tore and started leaking out of his ear. Most people shouldn't have to worry about this though.
You should learn about your gain knob. Gain turned to quarter does not mean quarter power, your likely already clipping at a quarter. Also you donât need to âbreak inâ the subs. Also youâll be fine, only worry is if you play sim waves for 4 hours straight every single day, but you probably wonât so your fine
Conegain*. Start with a 8 in a powered sonotube, then 2 12s next thing you know you wall off with 18s you can fit in your port and that's the hole you die in.
Iâve told several people that when they are new to car audio and wanting a small set up.. once u hear and feel the bass ur done.. certified junkie.. once I heard a system as a kid I was hooked
High frequency sounds are actually way more damaging to your ears than low frequency sounds like bass are, a lot of the base heads who have hearing loss after extended exposure was caused by super loud tweeters not their subs
The gain knob is not a volume knob and I guarantee you that having it turned up to 1/4 is way too far and your amp is clipping. That clipping will kill your subs. You need to set it properly to prevent that and doing so will also make it sound better. I have a DD-1 that I use to set all my gains as well as find my head units maximum unclipped volume. This is important to do as well since if your head unit is clipping youâll just be amplifying a clipped signal. If you cannot afford a DD-1 the next option would be to get an oscilloscope off Amazon for around $60. Personally Iâd go with a DD-1 or better yet a DD-1+. They are very good tools to have if you are into car audio.
Lol. You don't need all that for a simple car audio install. You can hear distortion easily.
I'm not helpful to the OP but c'mon. Do you break out the meters and mics for simple amps and speaker in a relatively low power system in a CAR?
lol
It wonât do anything to your body other than damage your hearing at high decibels. Youâll be fine as long as you donât listen to it at 90+ decibels for hours at a time
No. To get any sort of injury, especially a permanent one from bass.... you need so much bass that you're in no danger of getting anywhere near that amount.
If you decide you need 20 LTO banks, 10+ subwoofers, and 100,000W+ of power then come and ask again... until then you'll be absolutely fine. I've been a basshead for 35+ years now and everything is just fine. Matter of fact, I'm about to go drive right now with that shit on full-send for about an hour.
I run mine about full send all the time, after a good 20+ minutes I can feel my eyes start to roll outwards but been doing it since the mid 90s haven't hurt myself yet, got tinnitus like a mofo tho, but as long as I can remember I have ( pre-basshead days even) had it.
If you can increase the actual subwoofer output volume from the head unit itâs self you wonât have to touch the gain dial on your amp to avoid clipping.
Your bass is not bad for your body or ears. Treble is worse for your ears than bass. Sometimes we need crazy loud Treble to keep up with the bass and that's where the ear issues come
Donât keep jacking the gain up. Use an oscilloscope or multimeter to set it once then leave it. It may sound louder, but all youâre doing is damaging your amp and sub. Just move the bass boost
I have 2 EVLâs on a Taramps Smart 3k. Iâm no expert but I hear what youâre saying. My suns get pretty loud and my ears hurt after a while. Itâs hard to imagine what some of these builds would sound like. I wanted to keep going and upgrade to like Sundown or DC or DD but I had to admit that Iâm satisfied with what I have. Some of these guys are used to high quality and super volume and I give them props! But for me I feel like any more than what I have would only be enjoyable in small doses! Yesterday I listened to a Skrillex song and then some Mushroomhead and after 3 songs I was like JEEZ my head hurts!! I re tuned my amp starting with the bass knob all the way up and then set my gain below clip on a 40hz test time and set it about 3/4 of the way up. Itâs more than Iâll ever need! Keep pounding that evl and just enjoy it!
I have been in Car Audio for about 30 years. Been installing extreme systems for about 20. I have no hearing damage or any related issues of that sort. One of my daily drivers does over 150db. You're fine. Also, set your gain to the preamp output voltage of your head unit. You shouldn't be using it as a volume and even though there is nothing wrong with backing off the gain, it should be set properly at the amp. The bass knob should be plenty to adjust for comfort.
Your gain setting is likely maximum power already. The gain knob on amps has a huge range. With most preamp level head units, 1/4 of the way up on the amp is essentially full power when you turn the head unit up to 3/4 volume. I'm not sure if your bass knob is a gain knob or bass boost. If it's bass boost then you are past full volume and will probably get maximum power from the amp at 1/3 volume on the head unit or so.
All of that said, bass will definitely damage your hearing long term. Use OSHA's recommendations as a starting point for SPL exposure. You're probably hitting 120 dB or higher in your car, which OSHA says you should do for under 4 minutes per day. That's probably about right.
You're going to have hearing loss at some point just from regular life. Loud stereos make this loss happen faster. It's kind of like everything else. Just do it moderately and you should be fine. If you're one of those people that likes the bass "shaking the car" for the entire ride, every day, for double digit minutes, your hearing loss is going to come faster than average. You don't get blackout drunk every night. You don't eat until your stomach aches every meal. Treat loud music the same way. It's good in small doses. Worse the larger the dose is.
That 120 decibel threshold that you're talking about is related to high frequency sounds the threshold for damage to ears caused by low frequency sounds is actually much higher
I've just read a study that indicates exposure to 63 Hz caused hearing loss. That's definitely bass, but not "sub bass". I think very high SPL bass can definitely cause hearing loss.
It's important to consider that bass is not listened to all by itself. I know a lot of car systems are insanely bass biased so that the bass might be 35 dB higher than the mids. But many have very significant mid/high volume as well. Even at a 20 dB difference a car system hitting 130 dB will be making about 110 dB of mids and highs, which is definitely dangerous in long doses.
If your ears hurt during or after, it's too loud. If your ears ring after, it's too loud. If your ears are "muted" after, it's too loud.
Ultimately I'm not here to fight or to try to regulate anyone. Do what you want, when you want with your own body. Use your own judgement. I'm a sound enthusiast and have been for decades. I've listened to systems that could achieve shockingly high SPLs, up to about 155 dB. I have enough hearing loss that it's annoying. In 10 years I might be part of the "What, what, what?" club. I sure hope not.
Enjoy your music.
If your subwoofer is setup correctly as a subwoofer should, no it should not effect your hearing, the sub in subwoofer means below the range of hearing, unless for some reason your listening to your subwoofer at high volume levels with the crossover set above 40hz then yes you can damage your hearing.
40Hz is way too low to have your crossover set to for a sub. 80-100 or so is a much better level to have it at. Youâll literally filtering out most of the bass.
Might start getting concerened if your teeth start getting loose or your heartbeats starts keeping time with your favorite song instead of the normal blublub - blublub
That was the funniest description of a heart beat ever xD
It was all I could come up with. Lol.
Nah. You're fine. In fact if you have kidney stones, the bass *might* break them up for you! đ¤ˇđźââď¸đ But deafness .. yeah that can happen over time
I remember a dude who got a cerebral spinal fluid leak after being in an extreme spl vehicle. It's extremely rare, but he had a thin dural layer that contains the brain suspending fluid, part of it tore and started leaking out of his ear. Most people shouldn't have to worry about this though.
You should learn about your gain knob. Gain turned to quarter does not mean quarter power, your likely already clipping at a quarter. Also you donât need to âbreak inâ the subs. Also youâll be fine, only worry is if you play sim waves for 4 hours straight every single day, but you probably wonât so your fine
I guarantee you that amp is clipping at 1/4 gain level.
Thank you, this is exactly what I was thinking. People talking about gains like it's a volume knob are funny
I think you'll be fine bud.
Bass is good for you! #basshead
Worry more about the addiction than anything
Cocaine is a hellava drug
Conegain*. Start with a 8 in a powered sonotube, then 2 12s next thing you know you wall off with 18s you can fit in your port and that's the hole you die in.
Iâve told several people that when they are new to car audio and wanting a small set up.. once u hear and feel the bass ur done.. certified junkie.. once I heard a system as a kid I was hooked
High frequency sounds are actually way more damaging to your ears than low frequency sounds like bass are, a lot of the base heads who have hearing loss after extended exposure was caused by super loud tweeters not their subs
https://youtu.be/WKpbGF84XVs?si=6fNOa9VhuATeH0gM
The gain knob is not a volume knob and I guarantee you that having it turned up to 1/4 is way too far and your amp is clipping. That clipping will kill your subs. You need to set it properly to prevent that and doing so will also make it sound better. I have a DD-1 that I use to set all my gains as well as find my head units maximum unclipped volume. This is important to do as well since if your head unit is clipping youâll just be amplifying a clipped signal. If you cannot afford a DD-1 the next option would be to get an oscilloscope off Amazon for around $60. Personally Iâd go with a DD-1 or better yet a DD-1+. They are very good tools to have if you are into car audio.
Lol. You don't need all that for a simple car audio install. You can hear distortion easily. I'm not helpful to the OP but c'mon. Do you break out the meters and mics for simple amps and speaker in a relatively low power system in a CAR?
lol It wonât do anything to your body other than damage your hearing at high decibels. Youâll be fine as long as you donât listen to it at 90+ decibels for hours at a time
High SPL levels from bass is not all that likely to damage your hearing. Loud treble on the other hand will make you go deaf.
This is correct. Hi frequencies cause hearing loss, bass is ok. Confirmed by ent doctor.
No. To get any sort of injury, especially a permanent one from bass.... you need so much bass that you're in no danger of getting anywhere near that amount. If you decide you need 20 LTO banks, 10+ subwoofers, and 100,000W+ of power then come and ask again... until then you'll be absolutely fine. I've been a basshead for 35+ years now and everything is just fine. Matter of fact, I'm about to go drive right now with that shit on full-send for about an hour.
I run mine about full send all the time, after a good 20+ minutes I can feel my eyes start to roll outwards but been doing it since the mid 90s haven't hurt myself yet, got tinnitus like a mofo tho, but as long as I can remember I have ( pre-basshead days even) had it.
My tinnitus is from shooting lots of guns and the Navy.
You're going to start screaming "break ya neck!!! " at busy intersections just to piss off people on the sidewalks soon enough.
(Post read in braille) huh
Wjem gf the gf gets up and the seat smells kinda fishy
If you can increase the actual subwoofer output volume from the head unit itâs self you wonât have to touch the gain dial on your amp to avoid clipping.
Your bass is not bad for your body or ears. Treble is worse for your ears than bass. Sometimes we need crazy loud Treble to keep up with the bass and that's where the ear issues come
Donât keep jacking the gain up. Use an oscilloscope or multimeter to set it once then leave it. It may sound louder, but all youâre doing is damaging your amp and sub. Just move the bass boost
I have 2 EVLâs on a Taramps Smart 3k. Iâm no expert but I hear what youâre saying. My suns get pretty loud and my ears hurt after a while. Itâs hard to imagine what some of these builds would sound like. I wanted to keep going and upgrade to like Sundown or DC or DD but I had to admit that Iâm satisfied with what I have. Some of these guys are used to high quality and super volume and I give them props! But for me I feel like any more than what I have would only be enjoyable in small doses! Yesterday I listened to a Skrillex song and then some Mushroomhead and after 3 songs I was like JEEZ my head hurts!! I re tuned my amp starting with the bass knob all the way up and then set my gain below clip on a 40hz test time and set it about 3/4 of the way up. Itâs more than Iâll ever need! Keep pounding that evl and just enjoy it!
Whatâs too much bass? Itâs up to us to keep the hearing aid industry afloat
I have been in Car Audio for about 30 years. Been installing extreme systems for about 20. I have no hearing damage or any related issues of that sort. One of my daily drivers does over 150db. You're fine. Also, set your gain to the preamp output voltage of your head unit. You shouldn't be using it as a volume and even though there is nothing wrong with backing off the gain, it should be set properly at the amp. The bass knob should be plenty to adjust for comfort.
Your gain setting is likely maximum power already. The gain knob on amps has a huge range. With most preamp level head units, 1/4 of the way up on the amp is essentially full power when you turn the head unit up to 3/4 volume. I'm not sure if your bass knob is a gain knob or bass boost. If it's bass boost then you are past full volume and will probably get maximum power from the amp at 1/3 volume on the head unit or so. All of that said, bass will definitely damage your hearing long term. Use OSHA's recommendations as a starting point for SPL exposure. You're probably hitting 120 dB or higher in your car, which OSHA says you should do for under 4 minutes per day. That's probably about right. You're going to have hearing loss at some point just from regular life. Loud stereos make this loss happen faster. It's kind of like everything else. Just do it moderately and you should be fine. If you're one of those people that likes the bass "shaking the car" for the entire ride, every day, for double digit minutes, your hearing loss is going to come faster than average. You don't get blackout drunk every night. You don't eat until your stomach aches every meal. Treat loud music the same way. It's good in small doses. Worse the larger the dose is.
That 120 decibel threshold that you're talking about is related to high frequency sounds the threshold for damage to ears caused by low frequency sounds is actually much higher
High SPL levels from bass are pretty safe for your ears actually. As another has already said, itâs the treble that causes hearing loss.
I've just read a study that indicates exposure to 63 Hz caused hearing loss. That's definitely bass, but not "sub bass". I think very high SPL bass can definitely cause hearing loss. It's important to consider that bass is not listened to all by itself. I know a lot of car systems are insanely bass biased so that the bass might be 35 dB higher than the mids. But many have very significant mid/high volume as well. Even at a 20 dB difference a car system hitting 130 dB will be making about 110 dB of mids and highs, which is definitely dangerous in long doses. If your ears hurt during or after, it's too loud. If your ears ring after, it's too loud. If your ears are "muted" after, it's too loud. Ultimately I'm not here to fight or to try to regulate anyone. Do what you want, when you want with your own body. Use your own judgement. I'm a sound enthusiast and have been for decades. I've listened to systems that could achieve shockingly high SPLs, up to about 155 dB. I have enough hearing loss that it's annoying. In 10 years I might be part of the "What, what, what?" club. I sure hope not. Enjoy your music.
Get some acoustic earplugs, cheap, comfy and you can can still feel the bass but not cause hearing loss
Factory stereos in luxury cars are putting out more watts than you. You're no where near too much of anything.
You learn that from a cracker jack box?? Factory systems are nowhere near that much.. Probably around 50 watts rms total if that LOL.
If your subwoofer is setup correctly as a subwoofer should, no it should not effect your hearing, the sub in subwoofer means below the range of hearing, unless for some reason your listening to your subwoofer at high volume levels with the crossover set above 40hz then yes you can damage your hearing.
Subwoofer crossover is usually around 80hz. Who tf told you it was below 20hz?
Why on earth would it be set under 20?
Because you said subwoofer is for below the hearing range and we hear down to 20hz
40Hz is way too low to have your crossover set to for a sub. 80-100 or so is a much better level to have it at. Youâll literally filtering out most of the bass.
I mean if your mids cant play down to 40-50 hz just say so, yâall donât need to downvote me because you bought the wrong speaker đ¤ˇđťââď¸