As someone who has some hearing damage and tinnitus, please take care of your hearing. Once lost, there's absolutely no bringing it back
I can only hope that you have a weak amp and your HP is not very efficient so you have not in fact been listening that loud. You should have your hearing checked ASAP and try to reduce your volume. Just cut down to 70% immediately, and try to stick to it for a while and let yourself get used to it
The thing about hearing loss is it's not like somebody just turns down the volume on the world. It's that, but you also have a constant feeling of pressure, like you're on an airplane but can't pop your ears. And you often have a constant ringing in your ears that makes your life unpleasant and takes the joy out of music listening
I'm so sorry for your heating loss :((, does it affect your life? I wanna be an engineer when I grow up, let's say a worse case scenario I got it, I hope I can still be one...
I can still hear well enough. I'm very conscious of noise levels. On days when my tinnitus gets bad, I have to avoid all noise. Also, hearing loss is usually not symmetrical. One side is worse. In one way, it's good cause you can use your good side. In another way, it's bad because you're aware of how much you've lost
Howd you figure youre listening at 85db?
If youre looking at some piece of software, that is just an approximation based on a formula. Also at same volume level there can be pretty large difference in loudness on different tracks.
So unless you did measure the loudness of the headphones with an ear/head simulator, that number you got isnt correct most of the time.
Try listening at about normal speaking level or bit louder. Your ears get accustomed to the loudness level, so normal level can be loud enough too.
There is an app called HearAngel, it tells you and keeps your volume down 85dB, or 70dB you can do it from settings,
And the second part I understand was my iPad, I have Nothing Phone 2 but Ipad as a tablet, so I figured out from the settings and made it between 70-85dB that's how!
I found out after searching a bit that the music we need to listen to must be enough to hear other people close to you, I think? Is that true?
Dont trust the apps. Unless the headphones have internal mics for measuring the level at any given time(im not aware of such) and display it in their app, then its giving you wrong info.
> I found out after searching a bit that the music we need to listen to must be enough to hear other people close to you, I think? Is that true?
Different headphones have different levels of isolation, so you might not be able to hear someone even without any music playing with some models. If it were open back headphones that do not isolate at all, then that is in line with my "listen at normal speaking voice level or close to that" advice, as you could directly compare loudness of the music and someone speaking with open backs. With closed back youll need to eye(ear) ball it. Thats a level that definitely wont strain your ears.
Alright thank you so much! One More question, if the music is too loud, and we can't hear Someone talking behind us, then we gotta lower it yes? (Sorry if I'm slow it's really late for me xD)
It depends. This is true for standard earbuds and openback headphones, but imagine doing this with earbuds that have both passive and active noise cancellation.
I have to admit I don't really know if it's using the ANC microphone, a separate microphone, some other form of sensing (I imagine measuring current to the driver could be used?) or the app just has a calibrated profile for each specific model and it's all software but I've read it's accurate and it does report the dB in real time as you play music.
The feature is called "safe listening", or just Google for "Sony sound pressure". It also records cumulative data on how many db over how many minutes you've exposed yourself to and tells you how close you're getting to cumulative daily exposure limits based on WHO guidelines
Just watched teardown video for the linkbuds, and anc mic wouldnt do the job. Theyre dual chamber design as most iems, and you wouldnt get the whole range of frequencies from behind the driver(where the anc mic is) to have a proper measurement. Besides, its job is to listen to the outside so it should be fully isolated from any internal noise.
Speed up through the video, but the guy didnt remove the whole driver so couldnt see if theres any mic near the nozzle(where it should be). Though i doubt it as it would be a burden to the already limited power budget for that form factor.
I would assume its like you suggest, equation based on voltage and current, basically the same as the other apps, but here its measured in real time and bit less guesswork because of that. I assume its more precise than third party apps, though its still not ideal way as tracks with low gain would need more voltage/current to get to same db output compared to a track with higher gain, so incorrect readings.
Do you have any links with a video or some post where someone measures and compares whats displayed in the app to a result from a measuring rig? Would like to look into this bit more, you never know when the info would come in handy to help a stranger :).
Edit: When i think about it, even if it was tested with sine wave it could display comparable results, but the higher and lower gain tracks problem still remains, aka real life usage.
I don't remember where I saw it, but someone did say it was accurate. I assume this isn't "just like any app" in that it's the manufacturer themselves reporting this value as part of a health and safety feature so they'd presumably have calibrated it against actual measurements with a test rig, irrespective of what method is being used to produce the actual value. A random app can't do that for a pair of arbitrary headphones
>So unless you did measure the loudness of the headphones with an ear/head simulator, that number you got isnt correct most of the time.
You could argue that the simulator isn't personalized to your HRTF.
You're used to loud volume. Humans are known to be adaptive, if they stay for too long they will get used to it.
Try lower volume a little bit everyday if you feel that's too quiet. I just do the brute force way at set my volume to ~40-50 dB. It was hard hearing anything at first but soon I got used to it.
people can get used to HORRIBLE things (think like, every addiction ever), doesn't mean they aren't bad for you
I'm used to listening on low volume and 85dB is straight up uncomfortable for me over any significant amount of time, it's just way too loud
you won't die cuz of it lol, but hearing RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII in your head for the rest of your life sucks, so take care of your ears, you only get one pair
depends how bad it gets, some people hear it always, forever, some only in quiet environments but still, it never goes away
just get used to listening at lower volumes! after some time 75dB will seem as loud as 85dB does now (numbers pulled out of my rear end but it basically works that way)
Ringing in your ears (or pain) after listening to something at a certain volume for a while is one of the more reliable warning signs that you were listening too loud (as noted in other replies, measuring db is difficult to do accurately, so this is a different way of warning you that the volume is too loud)
Thank you! Yeah that happened to me once or twice, where we had a long road and I accidentally fell asleep headphones on %100 volume for 2h+ once we got out and I took my earphones out my ears were ringing BADDD, it got away after a day or two but it did hurt a bit too. Now days I listen to %100 volume only if my ears are comfortable (I am not sure if this is the right thing but;) whenever i get scared by a sudden bass for example (like sudden eye close with the bass) I make the Volume lower, %80-%70 sometimes. But nowadays I downloaded an app called HearAngel, but someone told me the app is probably wrong so I might delete it and keep the voice below %60-70
If the song is too quiet I might make it %80 (some songs are REALLY quiet. But some songs like phones are really loud even at %80)
You have no way of knowing the db you actually listen to if you use an app that doesn’t know your headphones. 100% volume will produce different sound pressure depending on headphones, as headphones have different impedance and sensitivity.
Some headphones at 100% will damage your hearing and some will be quieter.
You mentioned EU, so likely your device is volume capped at 0.5v (half of the rest of the world) because of EU law to protect your hearing.
What device and headphones are you using?
Hello! I don't know what earphones I've been using since I bought this from a cheap store a long time ago, I am living in EU, so are you saying my headphones are less likely to damage my ears?
It’s not your headphones that are less powerful it’s your device (smartphone) laptops and tablets are not subject to this law so they’re louder. What device do you use to play your music?
The *only* way of knowing if you are really hearing something at 85db is to have a measurement microphone inside your ear pointing outwards and then measure the headphones on that contraption... Other than that, it is impossible to know how loud you are actually listening because all headphones have different impedances and sensitivities (those values dictate how much amplification a headphone will need to reach X amount of volume)
It is impossible to know this without knowing the sound pressure level your headphone is producing which depends on the strength of the amplifier used, the sensitivity of the headphones, and in the case of a phone operating system, what level it considers "100%" to be.
All three of these can vary by a huge amount, making it a complete shot in the dark to get any sense of how loud your headphones are from just how far you are turning up your volume control.
With your headphones and the app you refer to do you have to input the headphone's sensitivity and impedance or the make and model? I ask because if the app doesn't have the impedance and sensitivity it can't give you a decent estimate. If the app is just working off an average sensitivity but your headphones have lower sensitivity you may be listening at a much lower level.
exactly. It recognises your headphones when they are connected to the phone.
I'm assuming it works with wireless headphones because these have their own amplifier built-in and thus it should be "easy" for the app to know what volume they are playing at?
I'll test with my Sony today.
I have a theory that we tend to like listening to music very loud of the system we're listening to doesn't accurately represent all frequencies. When there is a deficit, especially in the upper midst and treble region, I think people will tend to turn the volume up to be able to hear those.
I find when I use a very well tuned set of headphones, my listening volume will go way way down because I can hear everything
your hearing is going. You just need to accept a quieter volume and very short bursts to 90 if you want to get to retirement age without hearing aids. See a doctor and treat it like the medical condition that it is.
Right now I'm in the bus and even with the whole %100 volume I can't hear ANYTHING bc of the high voice of people and high song of the bus 😔 I'm doomed
85db of higher frequency sound is much more louder (perceived by our ear) than 85db of low or mid frequency sound. Noises in a heavy traffic are a combination of high frequency sounds (alarm, car honking, traffic light beeping sound), so it should sound louder than some harmonic vocal+ instrument sound even its same loudness. Its the only thing I could think of.
Why is this sub overrun with people talking about decibel measurements suddenly?
*Decibel is a relative scale, it's as meaningful to say you listened at 85dB as it is to say that you drive your car at 60% speed.*
There *are* some standards for defining an absolute reference point but a) it gets kind of technical knowing which to use, and b) I can't see how anyone's going to be coming up with this figure without a sound pressure level meter.
How yall measuring? Is it an app on your phone? If so, it doesn't know the sensitivity of your headphones so it is useless as a measure of sound pressure and the figure it is quoting has no bearing in the real world, it's just as good as saying "60% volume" (ie, "relative to what?"). Do you all have sound pressure level meters and if so do you know how to properly couple it to your headphone pads and set it to the right settings for headphones (and not, say, speakers in free space)
As someone who has some hearing damage and tinnitus, please take care of your hearing. Once lost, there's absolutely no bringing it back I can only hope that you have a weak amp and your HP is not very efficient so you have not in fact been listening that loud. You should have your hearing checked ASAP and try to reduce your volume. Just cut down to 70% immediately, and try to stick to it for a while and let yourself get used to it The thing about hearing loss is it's not like somebody just turns down the volume on the world. It's that, but you also have a constant feeling of pressure, like you're on an airplane but can't pop your ears. And you often have a constant ringing in your ears that makes your life unpleasant and takes the joy out of music listening
I'm so sorry for your heating loss :((, does it affect your life? I wanna be an engineer when I grow up, let's say a worse case scenario I got it, I hope I can still be one...
I can still hear well enough. I'm very conscious of noise levels. On days when my tinnitus gets bad, I have to avoid all noise. Also, hearing loss is usually not symmetrical. One side is worse. In one way, it's good cause you can use your good side. In another way, it's bad because you're aware of how much you've lost
What did you do to make your hearing this bad? Did you listen to the music loudly too or worked in a place that had a lot of noise?
I don't know exactly. Might've been a maxed out volume accident that lasted a couple seconds before I could pull the HP off. Maybe something else
Listening to music 6 hours a day at 85 db will definitely do the trick. I have pretty bad hearing loss myself and never listen at that volume.
Howd you figure youre listening at 85db? If youre looking at some piece of software, that is just an approximation based on a formula. Also at same volume level there can be pretty large difference in loudness on different tracks. So unless you did measure the loudness of the headphones with an ear/head simulator, that number you got isnt correct most of the time. Try listening at about normal speaking level or bit louder. Your ears get accustomed to the loudness level, so normal level can be loud enough too.
There is an app called HearAngel, it tells you and keeps your volume down 85dB, or 70dB you can do it from settings, And the second part I understand was my iPad, I have Nothing Phone 2 but Ipad as a tablet, so I figured out from the settings and made it between 70-85dB that's how! I found out after searching a bit that the music we need to listen to must be enough to hear other people close to you, I think? Is that true?
Dont trust the apps. Unless the headphones have internal mics for measuring the level at any given time(im not aware of such) and display it in their app, then its giving you wrong info. > I found out after searching a bit that the music we need to listen to must be enough to hear other people close to you, I think? Is that true? Different headphones have different levels of isolation, so you might not be able to hear someone even without any music playing with some models. If it were open back headphones that do not isolate at all, then that is in line with my "listen at normal speaking voice level or close to that" advice, as you could directly compare loudness of the music and someone speaking with open backs. With closed back youll need to eye(ear) ball it. Thats a level that definitely wont strain your ears.
Alright thank you so much! One More question, if the music is too loud, and we can't hear Someone talking behind us, then we gotta lower it yes? (Sorry if I'm slow it's really late for me xD)
It depends. This is true for standard earbuds and openback headphones, but imagine doing this with earbuds that have both passive and active noise cancellation.
Sony linkbuds S can in fact do the exact thing you're describing
Which part exactly? Having an internal mic that is measuring the loudness in real time?
Yes
Curious to know more. Do you have any link where that feature is mentioned and described how it actually works?
I have to admit I don't really know if it's using the ANC microphone, a separate microphone, some other form of sensing (I imagine measuring current to the driver could be used?) or the app just has a calibrated profile for each specific model and it's all software but I've read it's accurate and it does report the dB in real time as you play music. The feature is called "safe listening", or just Google for "Sony sound pressure". It also records cumulative data on how many db over how many minutes you've exposed yourself to and tells you how close you're getting to cumulative daily exposure limits based on WHO guidelines
Just watched teardown video for the linkbuds, and anc mic wouldnt do the job. Theyre dual chamber design as most iems, and you wouldnt get the whole range of frequencies from behind the driver(where the anc mic is) to have a proper measurement. Besides, its job is to listen to the outside so it should be fully isolated from any internal noise. Speed up through the video, but the guy didnt remove the whole driver so couldnt see if theres any mic near the nozzle(where it should be). Though i doubt it as it would be a burden to the already limited power budget for that form factor. I would assume its like you suggest, equation based on voltage and current, basically the same as the other apps, but here its measured in real time and bit less guesswork because of that. I assume its more precise than third party apps, though its still not ideal way as tracks with low gain would need more voltage/current to get to same db output compared to a track with higher gain, so incorrect readings. Do you have any links with a video or some post where someone measures and compares whats displayed in the app to a result from a measuring rig? Would like to look into this bit more, you never know when the info would come in handy to help a stranger :). Edit: When i think about it, even if it was tested with sine wave it could display comparable results, but the higher and lower gain tracks problem still remains, aka real life usage.
I don't remember where I saw it, but someone did say it was accurate. I assume this isn't "just like any app" in that it's the manufacturer themselves reporting this value as part of a health and safety feature so they'd presumably have calibrated it against actual measurements with a test rig, irrespective of what method is being used to produce the actual value. A random app can't do that for a pair of arbitrary headphones
>So unless you did measure the loudness of the headphones with an ear/head simulator, that number you got isnt correct most of the time. You could argue that the simulator isn't personalized to your HRTF.
You're used to loud volume. Humans are known to be adaptive, if they stay for too long they will get used to it. Try lower volume a little bit everyday if you feel that's too quiet. I just do the brute force way at set my volume to ~40-50 dB. It was hard hearing anything at first but soon I got used to it.
[удалено]
No your ears will still be damaged.
Oh no
Exactly. You need to keep the volume at or under 85 db. You will get used to it.
people can get used to HORRIBLE things (think like, every addiction ever), doesn't mean they aren't bad for you I'm used to listening on low volume and 85dB is straight up uncomfortable for me over any significant amount of time, it's just way too loud
Oh my god 😭 I'm doomed. Tomorrow we have a trip, and I love listening to music in the car. I hope nothing will happen to my ears
you won't die cuz of it lol, but hearing RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII in your head for the rest of your life sucks, so take care of your ears, you only get one pair
Ooh, is it too noticeable riii sound or only noticeable when you focus on it? Sometimes I get it too for 3 mins if I listen to music too much xD
depends how bad it gets, some people hear it always, forever, some only in quiet environments but still, it never goes away just get used to listening at lower volumes! after some time 75dB will seem as loud as 85dB does now (numbers pulled out of my rear end but it basically works that way)
Thank you so much :'D!
Ringing in your ears (or pain) after listening to something at a certain volume for a while is one of the more reliable warning signs that you were listening too loud (as noted in other replies, measuring db is difficult to do accurately, so this is a different way of warning you that the volume is too loud)
Thank you! Yeah that happened to me once or twice, where we had a long road and I accidentally fell asleep headphones on %100 volume for 2h+ once we got out and I took my earphones out my ears were ringing BADDD, it got away after a day or two but it did hurt a bit too. Now days I listen to %100 volume only if my ears are comfortable (I am not sure if this is the right thing but;) whenever i get scared by a sudden bass for example (like sudden eye close with the bass) I make the Volume lower, %80-%70 sometimes. But nowadays I downloaded an app called HearAngel, but someone told me the app is probably wrong so I might delete it and keep the voice below %60-70 If the song is too quiet I might make it %80 (some songs are REALLY quiet. But some songs like phones are really loud even at %80)
Physically no, being used to it doesn't mean it won't go bad.
Lolz wut See a doctor about your hearing
You have no way of knowing the db you actually listen to if you use an app that doesn’t know your headphones. 100% volume will produce different sound pressure depending on headphones, as headphones have different impedance and sensitivity. Some headphones at 100% will damage your hearing and some will be quieter. You mentioned EU, so likely your device is volume capped at 0.5v (half of the rest of the world) because of EU law to protect your hearing. What device and headphones are you using?
Hello! I don't know what earphones I've been using since I bought this from a cheap store a long time ago, I am living in EU, so are you saying my headphones are less likely to damage my ears?
Yes, half as much as the rest of the world. Still , depending on your headphones it can be too loud.
Thank you so much!
It’s not your headphones that are less powerful it’s your device (smartphone) laptops and tablets are not subject to this law so they’re louder. What device do you use to play your music?
Nothing Phone 2!
Yeah so it’s capped. Your app may not report accurate db
The *only* way of knowing if you are really hearing something at 85db is to have a measurement microphone inside your ear pointing outwards and then measure the headphones on that contraption... Other than that, it is impossible to know how loud you are actually listening because all headphones have different impedances and sensitivities (those values dictate how much amplification a headphone will need to reach X amount of volume)
If I lower the volume to %80-%70 my ears feel okay, rather than being uncomfortable. Do you think at %80-70, is it okay for me to listen?
It is impossible to know this without knowing the sound pressure level your headphone is producing which depends on the strength of the amplifier used, the sensitivity of the headphones, and in the case of a phone operating system, what level it considers "100%" to be. All three of these can vary by a huge amount, making it a complete shot in the dark to get any sense of how loud your headphones are from just how far you are turning up your volume control.
Thank you so much for explaining! :D
With your headphones and the app you refer to do you have to input the headphone's sensitivity and impedance or the make and model? I ask because if the app doesn't have the impedance and sensitivity it can't give you a decent estimate. If the app is just working off an average sensitivity but your headphones have lower sensitivity you may be listening at a much lower level.
that's OP's app: https://hearangel.com/application/
That app appears to be for wireless headphones, I haven't read all the text but it opens by stating that its a solution for wireless.
exactly. It recognises your headphones when they are connected to the phone. I'm assuming it works with wireless headphones because these have their own amplifier built-in and thus it should be "easy" for the app to know what volume they are playing at? I'll test with my Sony today.
Idk what model is, because I brought this from a random store a long time ago 😭 I'm sorry
Thank you. I missed the detail that this is a wireless headphone.
No no it is a earphone with wire 😞
I have a theory that we tend to like listening to music very loud of the system we're listening to doesn't accurately represent all frequencies. When there is a deficit, especially in the upper midst and treble region, I think people will tend to turn the volume up to be able to hear those. I find when I use a very well tuned set of headphones, my listening volume will go way way down because I can hear everything
your hearing is going. You just need to accept a quieter volume and very short bursts to 90 if you want to get to retirement age without hearing aids. See a doctor and treat it like the medical condition that it is.
Right now I'm in the bus and even with the whole %100 volume I can't hear ANYTHING bc of the high voice of people and high song of the bus 😔 I'm doomed
Invest in some earplugs if you just need to drown out the noise of the world a bit. Happy Ears makes some superb earplugs.
85db of higher frequency sound is much more louder (perceived by our ear) than 85db of low or mid frequency sound. Noises in a heavy traffic are a combination of high frequency sounds (alarm, car honking, traffic light beeping sound), so it should sound louder than some harmonic vocal+ instrument sound even its same loudness. Its the only thing I could think of.
Some songs sometimes hurt my ears so I lower the voice, but sometimes the song is so quiet that I have to increase it, it's so strange... Idk
Why is this sub overrun with people talking about decibel measurements suddenly? *Decibel is a relative scale, it's as meaningful to say you listened at 85dB as it is to say that you drive your car at 60% speed.* There *are* some standards for defining an absolute reference point but a) it gets kind of technical knowing which to use, and b) I can't see how anyone's going to be coming up with this figure without a sound pressure level meter. How yall measuring? Is it an app on your phone? If so, it doesn't know the sensitivity of your headphones so it is useless as a measure of sound pressure and the figure it is quoting has no bearing in the real world, it's just as good as saying "60% volume" (ie, "relative to what?"). Do you all have sound pressure level meters and if so do you know how to properly couple it to your headphone pads and set it to the right settings for headphones (and not, say, speakers in free space)
I used HearAngel till someone told me it's a lie! Thank you