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General Discussion
What sound parameter/s are best to measure safe listening volumes?
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<blockquote data-quote="LIVESOUND" data-source="post: 1167185" data-attributes="member: 778"><p>I occasionally use an app on my phone called 'Sound Meter'. I don't know how it measures decibel levels, but I have noted that the levels do not correspond to what my hearing tells me. The app appears to measure sound pressure, so strong bass elicits the highest decibel readings, but bass notes are far from disturbing to me. I find midrange to upper midrange frequencies, when played loud, to be the most disturbing, but they seldom generate the maximum decibel reading unless accompanied by strong bass.</p><p></p><p>I don't know which frequencies are most damaging to our ears. I have assumed that they are the midrange to upper midrange sounds, but I could be wrong. I understand that speaker drivers, particularly tweeters, tend to be damaged when driven to high volumes with distortion; although these types of failure may be due to amplifiers introducing clipping distortion rather than due to sensitivity to frequency. Does such physical driver damage corrolate with human hearing loss? The greater the level of distortion in playback, the greater the level of agitation to my ears. The amount of distortion in the music generally sets comfortable sound levels, but might have little correlation with hearing damage. The correct choice of measurement scales mentioned might have relevance in establishing sound levels that correspond to the level of hearing damage. Perhaps our ENT or audiologist friends could assist in helping us understand the whys and wherefores of contributing factors. I am sure that the rate of damage and responsible frequencies probably vary from person to person.</p><p></p><p>My Sound Meter app produces minimum, average and maximum readings for any particular cycle. My feeling is that anything averaging above 78db (with possible 100db dynamic peaks) is potentially damaging.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="LIVESOUND, post: 1167185, member: 778"] I occasionally use an app on my phone called 'Sound Meter'. I don't know how it measures decibel levels, but I have noted that the levels do not correspond to what my hearing tells me. The app appears to measure sound pressure, so strong bass elicits the highest decibel readings, but bass notes are far from disturbing to me. I find midrange to upper midrange frequencies, when played loud, to be the most disturbing, but they seldom generate the maximum decibel reading unless accompanied by strong bass. I don't know which frequencies are most damaging to our ears. I have assumed that they are the midrange to upper midrange sounds, but I could be wrong. I understand that speaker drivers, particularly tweeters, tend to be damaged when driven to high volumes with distortion; although these types of failure may be due to amplifiers introducing clipping distortion rather than due to sensitivity to frequency. Does such physical driver damage corrolate with human hearing loss? The greater the level of distortion in playback, the greater the level of agitation to my ears. The amount of distortion in the music generally sets comfortable sound levels, but might have little correlation with hearing damage. The correct choice of measurement scales mentioned might have relevance in establishing sound levels that correspond to the level of hearing damage. Perhaps our ENT or audiologist friends could assist in helping us understand the whys and wherefores of contributing factors. I am sure that the rate of damage and responsible frequencies probably vary from person to person. My Sound Meter app produces minimum, average and maximum readings for any particular cycle. My feeling is that anything averaging above 78db (with possible 100db dynamic peaks) is potentially damaging. [/QUOTE]
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Audio and Video Talk
General Discussion
What sound parameter/s are best to measure safe listening volumes?
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