How loud do you like to listen to Music?

HenryChinaski wrote: »

I had to do a return trip to Dublin today and while I'm not usually a huge fan of driving I really enjoyed flaking it up and down the M7 listening to some of my favourite tunes up full blast. I know that if years of listening to loud music hasn't already taken it's toll on my hearing, it probably will eventually but I also know that I'll never be able to not blast it up when I'm on my own listening to my songs. The thing that gets me though is I know so many people who claim to be big music fans yet they'd listen to the radio more than their own favourite music and they'd never just stick in the headphones and crank it up to 11. What's the story like, am I just asking to go deaf?!

Since when has being a music fan meant that you had to crank it up to 11?

When I'm in the car and just driving around town then I'd keep the volume at a medium setting. If I'm out on the main road doing 100kph then I'll turn it up a bit. I'd never have it absolutely blaring, maybe just the odd time.

As for the headphones, I feel sorry for the teenagers/young adults of my generation that'll end up with hearing problems in years to come. Those iPod earphones are the single worst things to use in my opinion. All my friends use them with the sound turned up as far as possible. I did it myself when I was younger until my ears started hurting and I bought headphones.

I may end up with hearing problems myself but if I don't then the switch to the headphones will be the reason why. I can listen to the music at a lower level because the sound quality is better and the headphones act as a barrier to the outside noise. The ones I use are pretty basic and are nowhere near as good as the noise-cancelling ones but they're still very effective.

It's scary when I'm on a bus and I can hear the music that a girl two seats in front of me is listening to and I'm listening to my own music through my headphones. She's busting out some nonsense through her white iPod earbuds and she is completely oblivious to the destruction that she is doing to her ears.

Have a read of this study. The results are pretty scary.



I'm listening to C.R.E.A.M. by the Wu-Tang Clan. I'm listening at about 60% and it's perfect. I could vary between 50-70% depending on my environment. I would never go up to 100. There's no need to.

In fact I just found an old pair of iPod earphones there and I tried listening at around 90%. It's ridiculous. 5 seconds and I was done. I don't know how anyone could subject their ears to that level of abuse.

Anyone who uses a pair of earphones and listens to their music at a very high level is asking for trouble. Buy a decent set of headphones and turn the volume down. You'll save yourself so much hardship in the future. The very last thing you want to develop is tinnitus. It's absolutely awful and as far as I know it's incurable.

kunst nugget wrote: »

You've a messy face???

Yes ! yes !

Hire up that hearing aid !!

windingo wrote: »

if I'm going on a roadtrip or something I'll tend to make a playlist of classics and blast them as i don't do it regularly!

To use a well known supermarket slogan... "every little helps".....to damage your hearing.

100%

rcaz wrote: »

Yes, but can you feel it?

Try listening to some garage or dub or future bass or whatever they call that kind of stuff now, quietly. Not the same. Turn it up - much better. Same goes for noisy rock music. Crank Loveless up as loud as you can within reason - adds so much to the music. Blare John Coltrane or Ornette Coleman and the solos will tear your ears off, it's a physical music, it has to be felt. And sure, feeling the emotions coming through the sound is great and all, but ramp it up and let those airwaves vibrate your body. Feelsgoodman. Some stuff is better listened to loud, and some music is too ****ing good to worry about your hearing all the time. I know that sounds stupid and you'll call me young and irresponsible, but every now and then, you have to... Go for it, right?

I basically agree with what you say here. People are well able to make up their own minds about the volume they choose to listen to music. However, it is possible that if they were made more aware of the consequences of loud volume, they might come to a different decision.

Like smoking, no one is saying dont do it, just be aware of the long term consequences.

Rigsby wrote: »

I basically agree with what you say here. People are well able to make up their own minds about the volume they choose to listen to music. However, it is possible that if they were made more aware of the consequences of loud volume, they might come to a different decision.

Like smoking, no one is saying dont do it, just be aware of the long term consequences.

Completely forgot to point out, that if I'm at a gig or anything, I wear ear plugs. All the benefit of feeling the vibrations really loudly, without doing as much damage to my ears.

Nothing like the sound of a concert ringing in your ears from massive Marshall speakers....My ears buzzed for days after a Rory Gallagher concert in the Stadium.....Not the same anymore....Health and Safety took all the fun out of that!......and also...Apt living!!!