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Topic: Calculating Safe Headphone Listening Levels (Read 1920 times) previous topic - next topic
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Calculating Safe Headphone Listening Levels

I've got a Xonar Essence STX and HD650s. Sounds great, very happy, etc etc.  Is there a simple method I can use to calculate or measure the DBs? Long-term exposure to certain levels can damage hearing, and it makes sense to understand what these volume levels sound like.

There's obviously a lot of variability -- volume settings, music, etc, so maybe calculation is difficult. Is actual measurement the simplest or only way (I presume with some kind of calibrated device)? What kind of simple device would work for this?

Calculating Safe Headphone Listening Levels

Reply #1 –
I don't know how accurate this app is, but you can use Sound Meter for android, if you have access to an android phone that is.
You can find the app here
 

Calculating Safe Headphone Listening Levels

Reply #2 –
It's not easy.  The problem is, you need to know the voltage going into the headphones.  Do you have a voltmeter?  (An analog meter makes it easier to measure an average.)

There are 3 variables -

- The volume setting and amplification/gain of the device.
- The sensitivity of the headphoes (you can look that up.)
- The loudness of the recording/music.

If your application has a VU/loudness meter, you can calibrate it to dB SPL, if you know the voltage and the sensitivity of your headphones.    I haven't looked at the Android app and I don't have an Android device...  It  could have a list of devices and a list of headphones, or a way to enter headphone sensitivity, but I doubt it...

Quote
Long-term exposure to certain levels can damage hearing, and it makes sense to understand what these volume levels sound like.
One clue is if you get a "temporary hearing-threshold shift".  That is, if everything sounds quiet, or if you feel a little deaf after listening, you are listening too loud.