If it's too loud, you're too old?
"If it's too loud, you're too old!"
I've heard this expression many times before, and recently I saw it used in an ad for a club in a local newspaper (well, not precisely as above, since the ad had "you're" spelled as "your"). The ad shows a cartoon of a stuffy looking guy in a suit with his fingers in his ears -- presumably signifying that the incredible coolness of the club's loud music is directly proportional to such people's annoyance.
Maybe I was just "old" before my time, but even as a kid I thought this was a pretty stupid attitude. I never felt I had anything to prove about how tough I was by demonstrating my endurance to ear-shattering conditions. Nor have I ever needed body-shaking, teeth-rattling levels of vibration to get into a piece of music. I certainly didn't take pleasure simply from knowing how much my music might annoy someone else.
Of course, different people mean different things by "too loud". For me, too loud is when I can't hear a person three feet away from me talking. If my ears hurt, that's definitely too loud. I'm okay with brief peaks of volume, such as in a movie soundtrack which goes all the way from quiet whispers to loud explosions, or similarly dynamic pieces of music.
For normal listening, I'm most comfortable when speaking or singing voices are just about as loud as an unamplified human voice in the same room with me would be, though a little more volume than that can be okay too.
I enjoy music too much to risk my ability to keep enjoying it fully in the future. I certainly don't want to have the misery of tinnitus, or to have to always be asking people to repeat themselves for me.
I've heard this expression many times before, and recently I saw it used in an ad for a club in a local newspaper (well, not precisely as above, since the ad had "you're" spelled as "your"). The ad shows a cartoon of a stuffy looking guy in a suit with his fingers in his ears -- presumably signifying that the incredible coolness of the club's loud music is directly proportional to such people's annoyance.
Maybe I was just "old" before my time, but even as a kid I thought this was a pretty stupid attitude. I never felt I had anything to prove about how tough I was by demonstrating my endurance to ear-shattering conditions. Nor have I ever needed body-shaking, teeth-rattling levels of vibration to get into a piece of music. I certainly didn't take pleasure simply from knowing how much my music might annoy someone else.
Of course, different people mean different things by "too loud". For me, too loud is when I can't hear a person three feet away from me talking. If my ears hurt, that's definitely too loud. I'm okay with brief peaks of volume, such as in a movie soundtrack which goes all the way from quiet whispers to loud explosions, or similarly dynamic pieces of music.
For normal listening, I'm most comfortable when speaking or singing voices are just about as loud as an unamplified human voice in the same room with me would be, though a little more volume than that can be okay too.
I enjoy music too much to risk my ability to keep enjoying it fully in the future. I certainly don't want to have the misery of tinnitus, or to have to always be asking people to repeat themselves for me.
Comments
Originally posted by iBrowse
Unless you're in a residential area where you'll get police involved (I believe loud music tastes best with alcohol) turn it up.
So, no concern about your hearing whatsoever?
in general, loud music doesn't bother me. my college roomies and i would get annoyed with eachothers' music, and then duke it out electronically, pushing our volumes to the limit. i'd always win (yeah iSub and SoundStix!). but after that, it would stay loud for pretty much the rest of the day. i wouldn't notice until i went to bed, and turning off my music would make the whole world quiet again (with the exception of all our computer fans). in general the music wouldn't really be too loud for conversations around the room (well, aside from the 'lectric duel). i tend to turn it up at home, when i want to drown out the mindless conversations happening around the apartment. others complain before i notice a problem. at my friends' houses though, and some of them like heavier sounding music than i, it can get louder than the person infront of the computer; and basically then you have no choice but to (a) complain or (ii) enjoy the aural vibration.
Originally posted by shetline
So, no concern about your hearing whatsoever?
What?
Seriously I don't try to turn up my music too loud, it just ends up that way. There have been several dozen times I have gotten out of my jeep and realized my ears were ringing. Likewise with just about every concert I have attended. (Which numbers a easily over a 100)
Nick
I don't like to annoy people at all and I am getting in the older range myself
I just like to be able to feel the music I listen to.
If it starts to hurt then it is too loud.
I saw George Thoroughgood (sp?) open for the Rolling Stones many years whence and it was so loud that it hurt my body not just my ears . . .they were stuffed full O stuff
also Stereolab was so loud that it hurt my ears . . . almost too loud
Once at some annonymous Punk show at the On-Broadway in San Francisco( way way back) the band Du Jour was incredibly loud and I looked over and there was a girl, drunk beyond and semi passed out with her head inside one of the giant concert bull-horn speakers
ouch
ps. I even like classical Indian music played loud -(my semi favorite kind of music) also Mahler's lieder are best loud.
But, like I said I don't like to annoy people so I hardly ever listen to music these days . . . what with a new youngster around . . .
Heavy truck @ 15m
Busy city street
passing motorcycle
Lawn mower
Loud shout
Sreaming child
Very annoying. Can damage hearing after 8 hours exposure per day.
Originally posted by trumptman
What?
Seriously I don't try to turn up my music too loud, it just ends up that way. There have been several dozen times I have gotten out of my jeep and realized my ears were ringing. Likewise with just about every concert I have attended. (Which numbers a easily over a 100)
Nick
I probably listen to music in my car a bit louder than I would elsewhere, just to get the music up over the level of the road noise, but still not loud enough to make my ears ring.
What I think is really scary, not to mention incredibly stupid, is when people turn car stereo loudness into a macho competition for maximum decibels. If the output of these sound systems is painfully loud when heard from outside of the car, the damage that must be happening to someone's ears inside the car has got to be terrible.
Originally posted by shetline
So, no concern about your hearing whatsoever?
F*ck it I'm def in my left ear already : ) So you'll know when I drive by.
Originally posted by shetline
What I think is really scary, not to mention incredibly stupid, is when people turn car stereo loudness into a macho competition for maximum decibels. If the output of these sound systems is painfully loud when heard from outside of the car, the damage that must be happening to someone's ears inside the car has got to be terrible.
Many of these folks actually have the speakers under the car or in the trunk
I used to try and understand it as a 'cultural' thing . .*ehem* . . . but now THAT is annoying: it has no purpose but to announce their presence . . . that and loud motorcycles
but I do like usic at abot the 90db level . . .
I freaking hate those dumb asses who have to have there car stereos overwhelmingly loud with the bass bins and all. I get all kinds of suburban dumb asses going to nite clubs in my neighborhood, getting out all high at 4:00 am and cranking their systems in front of my apartment building. Makes me feel very violent.
I have a constant ringing in my ears now, and it bugs the ****ING SHIT OUT OF ME sometimes. It'll get real quiet around me at night, I'll start to notice the ringing, and it drives me bonkers until I can get myself to stop thinking about it. Doesn't happen all the time - I'm just slowly getting used to it. I definitely do not have very good hearing anymore though.
I'm probably the only guy in the world who wears earplugs to mow the lawn. I'm trying my damnest to keep what hearing I have left.
Originally posted by NETROMac
I listen to music at realistic "live" sound levels or close to that, at least when I listen to my hifi-system. That means that is often gets very LOUD, at least when I'm home alone that is. I would have liked to listen to music at lower levels, but that just doesn't do it for me. Music just has be played at certain levels to be realistic.
Ditto.
When I'm wearing my headpones, my Mac's volume is set about 3/4 of the way up, then the iTunes volume to about half of that, FWIW.
it penetrates thru walls, floors, etc.
.
Wearing earplugs doesn't seem to block it...
Really hate those Boom-Boom Boxes....
Originally posted by NETROMac
I listen to music at realistic "live" sound levels or close to that, at least when I listen to my hifi-system.
For most rock/pop music, what exactly is a "live" sound level? Since this kind of music is nearly always electronically amplified it can be cranked up arbitrarily loudly. Do you take "live" to mean whatever is more or less typical in bars, clubs, and live concerts?
Live levels for most unamplified acoustic music is generally no problem for your hearing. A full orchestra can put out a painful amount of sound (130 dB* for a 75-piece orchestra), but usually only gets very loud for brief musical peaks.
*I've also seen this rated at only 100 dB, and I have no idea if someone measuring the audio output of an orchestra is typically measuring total acoustical energy output, or the listening level for a typical member of an audience.
Originally posted by shetline
Do you take "live" to mean whatever is more or less typical in bars, clubs, and live concerts?
Ok. Music in bars typically stink. Boom-box base, fuzzy tremble distorted and uneven midrange and often played at not-comfortable-sound-levels.
Clubs more often has a decent sound and lower sound levels.
Live concerts has to bee loud to suppress the noice from the audience. And face it, everybody want loud concerts, at least when it's rock.
What I meant by "live" levels is this: So loud that I can close my eyes and actually believe there's a band playing in front of me. How loud this is?? Haven't got a clue, but it's fairly loud and on the "can't hear my-self speak" track.