A healthy human ear can potentially hear 15 Hz-20,000 Hz. With age that range decreases, but only slightly. Now that it is possible to listen to music anywhere that decrease is seen much faster and sooner than normal. With people listening to audio devices as loud as 130 db , there is great loss of hearing quality.
With new preemptive measures to help hearing loss to a minimum, new ideas are being made. “Our headphones project the audio to the area around the ear” Said Ultrasone Representative. “With not projecting the audio straight to the ear canal, it causes the brain to get as much sound out of less volume”
I asked 50 people “How loud, and for how long”. Of the 50 people I asked, all of them listened for more than an hour at a time at levels I recorded. Compare the decibel level to the time it takes to cause hearing damage
Decibels Time for Damage
85 db 8 hours
88 dB 4 hours
91 db 2 hours
94 db 1 hour
97 db 30 minutes
100 db 15 minutes
106 dB 7 min
106 dB 4min
109 dB 2min
112 dB 1 min
115 dB . 30 sec
A good way to keep a safe listening volume is to compare to outside noises. Such as items in the picture to the left. If you are louder than any of these items consider turning down or limit your time. “I snap my finger, and if I can hear that I know my music is not too loud” Said cable designer Ralph K.
