I just pulled out my trusty Radio Shack sound level meter so I could find out more precisely what sound levels I like, and what feels too loud.
Listening to some Tori Amos, I found myself settling in somewhere around 80 dB. I turned up the volume to get an average level closer to 90 dB (pfflam's threshold of pleasure? ), but at that point I found the sound level too annoying. (90 dB is perceived as roughly twice as loud as 80 dB, although 90 dB actually has TEN TIMES as much acoustic energy.)
After having the sound up to 90 dB or so, however, my previous volume setting seemed a bit tepid when I went back to it. Even so, I still preferred a level of less than 85 dB.
While 80-85 dB is much quieter than a lot of people prefer (especially nihilistic, too-cool-to-care teenagers), it's still loud enough to provoke a "Turn that noise down!" from some people, and loud enough to make me thankful that my apartment living days are over, because I know my music at these levels would bother someone in a neighboring apartment.
Switching off the music and putting on the news, I had to go to the lowest range on my meter -- "today's top stories" work well enough for me at 55 dB or less.
You're almost certainly causing yourself long-term hearing damage then. Is it worth it?
Maybe not, but it's not that I listen to music at these levels all the time. I usually use my computer's sound system at reasonable levels due to their total lack of power. When i LISTEN to music, maybe just one to three hours a week, I play loud. Some pieces very loud because they need to be to get the right "feel" and some at more moderate levels. So my overall exposure to loud music isn't all that much. My hearing is greeeeat by the way
The older I get, the lower I like it, although I did vote "dull roar." But my musical taste is shifting as I get older as well; Christopher Parkening and Nat Cole don't exactly "blast" at any level.
what drives me nuts now is that movie theatres actually hurt my ears depending on where i go. probably not a good thing for hearing overall.
I've been noticing this more often too. Fortunately, most of the time the movie itself is at a loud, but tolerable level -- it's just the damned previews (and now, other advertising) that are cranked too high.
Few things piss me off more than obnoxious neighbors (or hall mates in the case of college) who refuse to even consider the time of day or other factors when deciding if their music has been cranked up too much. Honestly, at appropriate times I don't care if people bring the roof down. But if you start cranking your stereo at 8:00 in the morning on a weekend, or if you're cranking it past 11:00 on a work night - college it would be more like 1:00 am on class nights - you're a douche bag IMO.
I rarely get up the nerve to go next door and tell people to turn it down, because that leads to the inevitable - and I do mean inevitable - downward spiral whereby the neighbor will start intentionally turning it up on subsequent occasions just to show "they're in control".
The bottom line is, people who live in apartments or townhouses or dorms, and who incessantly blast their music, are childish attention-seeking wankers. I guess it makes them feel good to make everyone else listen to their music whenever they like, but more than likely they have a small johnson (either literally or proverbially speaking) and are trying to compensate because they could only afford a fancy stereo and not a fancy car.
It all boils down to being aware of who's around you and giving a shit enough to treat them with the most basic level of respect.
Well let me blow this myth out of the water. I've lived around stereo systems all my my life. My dad played in a band when he was younger ( piano ). He always liked music and electronics ( before there was stereo his friends would experiment with putting two amps together and channel different parts of the music to each amp ). He even built his own speakers.
I don't think it has anything to do with age. I'm 50 now and I have more than one stereo system in my house that would blow you into the next county. I tend to like my music ( and movies DTS ) loud! Turn it up! The way it was meant to be.
Like I said, at the appropriate times, let the neighbors a half mile down the road listen to it. I love a good jam party. Summer shindig, Labor Day, New Years, etc. What drives me nuts are people who *know* their walls are also their neighbor's walls (and thin), and *know* it's probably not a wise time to blast away ... and then they do it anyway. Over and over.
I'm sure we've all annoyed one of our neighbors with our music at various times in our lives - it's almost unavoidable if you follow the usual paths to adulthood in this country - but there's a difference between that, and the man or woman who does it regularly and without any thought of who it affects besides them. Hence my douche bag comment.
Myself, I have a couple of 4' floor standing Paradigms (and a Rotel amp) that can shake the walls of this entire unit at about 30% output. This past Halloween I made my neighbor pay dearly for her prior indiscretions. I played various tracks from the fight club CD at about 45% and I'm quite sure there wasn't a square foot left in her house where she could hear herself think. And so after about 15 mintues, she left. My dog almost had a nervous breakdown. Luckily I only have to do that once or twice a year for about 30 minutes to "maker her remember" what I'm capable of, but it was kinda fun because of the revenge factor.
As it so happened it makes for good Halloween music so the trick-or treaters thought it was bizzarre / in tune with the occasion.
Well let me blow this myth out of the water... I'm 50 now and I have more than one stereo system in my house that would blow you into the next county.
The myth I was more interested in was not whether you had to be young to like music loud... but rather if you had to be old to be smart enough to care about your own ears, and other people's ears.
In fact, there's little surprise that if you've been listening to loud music all of your life that you probably need some extra power just to hear what you used to be able to hear with less.
We're all really impressed that your system "would blow you into the next county". What a man.
by far the best way to have a party when you know things are going to be loud is to go door to door with your neighbors and make sure you invite them, and ask if this will work ok....
Indeed. It's hard to be offended if you were invited to a weekend ho-down and opted not to go but instead to stay home and be pissed when the music starts. I just wish I *had* some neighbors that would make for good party guests. Definitely a strange lot in this little corner of America. We sort of have one of every stereotypical neighbor you can think of...
The angry old man who goes ape-shit when someone so much as steps foot on his lawn, and constantly berates the association electees with useless complaints about...everything.
The white-trash, middle-aged mother of one who has a relationship with no less than three different men every year, all of whom end up cohabitating with her and her after the first or second date, even though she has an 8 year old daughter.
The self-pitying "heavy" woman who makes a soap opera out of the most miniscule of problems, and a real opera out of more "serious" problems such as "allergies". Complains about her depression and boring life, then goes back inside and sits in front of her television all year. Makes lots of money but complains she hasn't the means to go to the local bar with us and have a few drinks, etc.
And then there's the guy and his wife who refuse to accept any social invites from any of his neighbor's, then gets indignant when there's a BBQ or something and they don't get included....
and the list goes on. Personally, I'd like to have some of them forcably removed so decent folk like yourselves could move in. That way a block party might actually be a welcome idea.
I care about my hearing, but I never really think about it when I'm at a show or in my car. If I'm at a show it's all about being close because it's crazier up there, if I'm driving, it's all about air guitar, steering wheel drums, and finger pointing at the screamy parts, so louder is always better. I can't stand it when idiots in my town (tiny town, 75% redneck) pull into the gas station or school or wherever bumping some lame rap song by some one-hit wonder from 1997, in their late 80's muscle-car that's 85% rust, and you know all they can hear in there is the bass. It makes me hate.
Music isn't worth it when it is so loud that it is unpleasent and obnoxious. And with most speakers, sound tends to grate and distort at high volume.50Db is good for me!
I am the apartment curmedgeon when it comes to loud music.
If I can hear your music after 11pm on a weeknight or 1am on a weekend I'm knocking on your door. If that doesn't fix it I'm calling the apartment management. If that doesn't work I'm calling the police. Every time. Bing-bing-bang, 1-2-3.
I really don't understand how people can be so amazingly inconsiderate of those around them. I realize you like to watch your shitty DVDs at 50x the decibels of a jetliner, but you live in a world with other people who like to sleep or just live life without hearing some godawful Stallone movie from 2 blocks away.
Headphones. Everyone needs headphones attached to their goddam spinal cords. You should be able to rent nice big headphones at the movies so you don't have to hear other people yapping on and on about nothing while the movie is going on.
Also, inviting me to your party as an excuse to keep bass shit blasting until 4am will only piss me off. I don't know you, you don't know me and chances are I don't like you. If you ask me for permission don't be surprised if I say "you have until 2am" with a look as serious as death on my face. I've done it before and it works.
The myth I was more interested in was not whether you had to be young to like music loud... but rather if you had to be old to be smart enough to care about your own ears, and other people's ears.
In fact, there's little surprise that if you've been listening to loud music all of your life that you probably need some extra power just to hear what you used to be able to hear with less.
We're all really impressed that your system "would blow you into the next county". What a man.
Given that I'm 50 and still have excellent hearing makes this point moot.
Sorry but the point of a good stereo system is to recreate the " real " experience. What the music would sound like if the musicians were right in front of you. If you've ever been to a concert ( of any type even classical ) it's loud. That's the bottom line.
Perhaps you should more carefully word the title of your thread next time.
Comments
Listening to some Tori Amos, I found myself settling in somewhere around 80 dB. I turned up the volume to get an average level closer to 90 dB (pfflam's threshold of pleasure?
After having the sound up to 90 dB or so, however, my previous volume setting seemed a bit tepid when I went back to it. Even so, I still preferred a level of less than 85 dB.
While 80-85 dB is much quieter than a lot of people prefer (especially nihilistic, too-cool-to-care teenagers), it's still loud enough to provoke a "Turn that noise down!" from some people, and loud enough to make me thankful that my apartment living days are over, because I know my music at these levels would bother someone in a neighboring apartment.
Switching off the music and putting on the news, I had to go to the lowest range on my meter -- "today's top stories" work well enough for me at 55 dB or less.
Originally posted by NETROMac
How loud this is?? Haven't got a clue, but it's fairly loud and on the "can't hear my-self speak" track.
You're almost certainly causing yourself long-term hearing damage then. Is it worth it?
Originally posted by shetline
You're almost certainly causing yourself long-term hearing damage then. Is it worth it?
Maybe not, but it's not that I listen to music at these levels all the time. I usually use my computer's sound system at reasonable levels due to their total lack of power. When i LISTEN to music, maybe just one to three hours a week, I play loud. Some pieces very loud because they need to be to get the right "feel" and some at more moderate levels. So my overall exposure to loud music isn't all that much. My hearing is greeeeat by the way
Originally posted by alcimedes
lol, i have a feeling my car wouldn't be appreciated by the members at AI. what do you think Argento?
Originally posted by alcimedes
what drives me nuts now is that movie theatres actually hurt my ears depending on where i go. probably not a good thing for hearing overall.
I've been noticing this more often too. Fortunately, most of the time the movie itself is at a loud, but tolerable level -- it's just the damned previews (and now, other advertising) that are cranked too high.
I rarely get up the nerve to go next door and tell people to turn it down, because that leads to the inevitable - and I do mean inevitable - downward spiral whereby the neighbor will start intentionally turning it up on subsequent occasions just to show "they're in control".
The bottom line is, people who live in apartments or townhouses or dorms, and who incessantly blast their music, are childish attention-seeking wankers. I guess it makes them feel good to make everyone else listen to their music whenever they like, but more than likely they have a small johnson (either literally or proverbially speaking) and are trying to compensate because they could only afford a fancy stereo and not a fancy car.
It all boils down to being aware of who's around you and giving a shit enough to treat them with the most basic level of respect.
That includes 3 subwoofers, 2 towers, and 2 outdoor speakers (for moogs
I don't think it has anything to do with age. I'm 50 now and I have more than one stereo system in my house that would blow you into the next county. I tend to like my music ( and movies DTS ) loud! Turn it up! The way it was meant to be.
I'm sure we've all annoyed one of our neighbors with our music at various times in our lives - it's almost unavoidable if you follow the usual paths to adulthood in this country - but there's a difference between that, and the man or woman who does it regularly and without any thought of who it affects besides them. Hence my douche bag comment.
Myself, I have a couple of 4' floor standing Paradigms (and a Rotel amp) that can shake the walls of this entire unit at about 30% output. This past Halloween I made my neighbor pay dearly for her prior indiscretions. I played various tracks from the fight club CD at about 45% and I'm quite sure there wasn't a square foot left in her house where she could hear herself think. And so after about 15 mintues, she left. My dog almost had a nervous breakdown. Luckily I only have to do that once or twice a year for about 30 minutes to "maker her remember" what I'm capable of, but it was kinda fun because of the revenge factor.
As it so happened it makes for good Halloween music so the trick-or treaters thought it was bizzarre / in tune with the occasion.
Originally posted by jimmac
Well let me blow this myth out of the water... I'm 50 now and I have more than one stereo system in my house that would blow you into the next county.
The myth I was more interested in was not whether you had to be young to like music loud... but rather if you had to be old to be smart enough to care about your own ears, and other people's ears.
In fact, there's little surprise that if you've been listening to loud music all of your life that you probably need some extra power just to hear what you used to be able to hear with less.
We're all really impressed that your system "would blow you into the next county". What a man.
and hope it does.
The angry old man who goes ape-shit when someone so much as steps foot on his lawn, and constantly berates the association electees with useless complaints about...everything.
The white-trash, middle-aged mother of one who has a relationship with no less than three different men every year, all of whom end up cohabitating with her and her after the first or second date, even though she has an 8 year old daughter.
The self-pitying "heavy" woman who makes a soap opera out of the most miniscule of problems, and a real opera out of more "serious" problems such as "allergies". Complains about her depression and boring life, then goes back inside and sits in front of her television all year. Makes lots of money but complains she hasn't the means to go to the local bar with us and have a few drinks, etc.
And then there's the guy and his wife who refuse to accept any social invites from any of his neighbor's, then gets indignant when there's a BBQ or something and they don't get included....
and the list goes on. Personally, I'd like to have some of them forcably removed so decent folk like yourselves could move in. That way a block party might actually be a welcome idea.
If I can hear your music after 11pm on a weeknight or 1am on a weekend I'm knocking on your door. If that doesn't fix it I'm calling the apartment management. If that doesn't work I'm calling the police. Every time. Bing-bing-bang, 1-2-3.
I really don't understand how people can be so amazingly inconsiderate of those around them. I realize you like to watch your shitty DVDs at 50x the decibels of a jetliner, but you live in a world with other people who like to sleep or just live life without hearing some godawful Stallone movie from 2 blocks away.
Headphones. Everyone needs headphones attached to their goddam spinal cords. You should be able to rent nice big headphones at the movies so you don't have to hear other people yapping on and on about nothing while the movie is going on.
1:50 *bump* *thump* *bump* *thump* *bump* *thump*
1:55 *bump* *thump* *bump* *thump* *bump* *thump*
1:59 *bump* *thump* *cars starting*
2:03 *crickets chirping*
groverat sleeps happy tonight.
Originally posted by shetline
The myth I was more interested in was not whether you had to be young to like music loud... but rather if you had to be old to be smart enough to care about your own ears, and other people's ears.
In fact, there's little surprise that if you've been listening to loud music all of your life that you probably need some extra power just to hear what you used to be able to hear with less.
We're all really impressed that your system "would blow you into the next county". What a man.
Given that I'm 50 and still have excellent hearing makes this point moot.
Sorry but the point of a good stereo system is to recreate the " real " experience. What the music would sound like if the musicians were right in front of you. If you've ever been to a concert ( of any type even classical ) it's loud. That's the bottom line.
Perhaps you should more carefully word the title of your thread next time.