• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

Hearing damage potential from metal dome tweeters?

fpitas

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jul 7, 2022
Messages
9,885
Likes
14,191
Location
Northern Virginia, USA
Yes but i dont care a shiit about 85dB at 20khz i just dont hear it. Why this should pierce my ears?
I can only imagine it's bad for your ears at that frequency and intensity. But, give it a try ;)
 

tomtoo

Major Contributor
Joined
Nov 20, 2019
Messages
3,607
Likes
4,514
Location
Germany
I can only imagine it's bad for your ears at that frequency and intensity. But, give it a try ;)

Maybe i get deaf not so much in the science books to finde about. But at least i dont hear it. ;)
 

fpitas

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jul 7, 2022
Messages
9,885
Likes
14,191
Location
Northern Virginia, USA
Maybe i get deaf not so much in the science books to finde about. But at least i dont hear it. ;)
Just because the ear cilia no longer function up there doesn't mean it's harmless. Luckily, no sane music features that kind of treble.
 

sarumbear

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Aug 15, 2020
Messages
7,604
Likes
7,313
Location
UK
Just because the ear cilia no longer function up there doesn't mean it's harmless. Luckily, no sane music features that kind of treble.
What will the harm be?
 

fpitas

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jul 7, 2022
Messages
9,885
Likes
14,191
Location
Northern Virginia, USA

tomtoo

Major Contributor
Joined
Nov 20, 2019
Messages
3,607
Likes
4,514
Location
Germany
Just because the ear cilia no longer function up there doesn't mean it's harmless. Luckily, no sane music features that kind of treble.

I dont know how dangerous it is hearing 85db at 35khz. But one thing is clear if you like to archive 85dB at 35khz with normal music, you get your ears blown much faster with the lower frequence parts.
 

fpitas

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jul 7, 2022
Messages
9,885
Likes
14,191
Location
Northern Virginia, USA
I dont know how dangerous it is hearing 85db at 35khz. But one thing is clear if you like to archive 85dB at 35khz with normal music, you get your ears blown much faster with the lower frequence parts.
This could explain some of the 110dB listeners :facepalm:
 

Digby

Major Contributor
Joined
Mar 12, 2021
Messages
1,632
Likes
1,555
I wonder if andysu would be kind enough to offer up one of his cats as a Guinea pig for the experiment...Who wants to volunteer to hold it during the test?
 

tomtoo

Major Contributor
Joined
Nov 20, 2019
Messages
3,607
Likes
4,514
Location
Germany
This could explain some of the 110dB listeners :facepalm:

See lets imagine a good mic is already down a lot(a lot) at 35khz . Than even the best pickups are a lot(lot) down at 35khz. And digital ? 44khz sampling is a lot(a lot) down at 35 khz. No no need to care about 10dB up from a dome there.
 

fpitas

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jul 7, 2022
Messages
9,885
Likes
14,191
Location
Northern Virginia, USA
See lets imagine a good mic is already down a lot(a lot) at 35khz . Than even the best pickups are a lot(lot) down at 35khz. And digital ? 44khz sampling is a lot(a lot) down at 35 khz. No no need to care about 10dB up from a dome there.
Agreed. You won't get much past 20kHz from most material, because of the Nyquist filter if nothing else.
 

tomtoo

Major Contributor
Joined
Nov 20, 2019
Messages
3,607
Likes
4,514
Location
Germany
Agreed. You won't get much past 20kHz from most material, because of the Nyquist filter if nothing else.

Whats leads us to the question is 80dB at 3khz more dangerous for the hearing than 80dB at 35khz? What i dont know.
 

fpitas

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jul 7, 2022
Messages
9,885
Likes
14,191
Location
Northern Virginia, USA
Whats leads us to the question is 80dB at 3khz more dangerous for the hearing than 80dB at 35khz? What i dont know.
Dunno. I guess if we get a cat to experiment on, we can find out!
 

mhardy6647

Grand Contributor
Joined
Dec 12, 2019
Messages
11,211
Likes
24,170
The structure of modern digital broadcasting is good engineering, too.
I'm sure it is -- I wouldn't understand it, though.
I (barely) understand FM MPX -- and I still think it is very cool.
 

tomtoo

Major Contributor
Joined
Nov 20, 2019
Messages
3,607
Likes
4,514
Location
Germany
Dunno. I guess if we get a cat to experiment on, we can find out!

Ok you hold the kitty
tiger-angry-shows-fangs-260nw-1665099349..jpg


While i calibrate the frequence generator? ;)
 

ctrl

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jan 24, 2020
Messages
1,616
Likes
6,086
Location
.de, DE, DEU
When listening to music with an average of 85 dB, any 20 kHz sound will not be 85 dB. Rather is 40 to 60 dB down from there.

Voodoless has already said everything necessary in the second post. Nevertheless here is a graphical version of it for easier understanding.

Normally one would set the said 85dB sound pressure level around 1kHz. Then the sound pressure level when listening to "normal" music at 20kHz would be lowered by 35dB on average.

1678744250400.png

Source: Long-term Average Spectrum in Popular Music and its Relation to the Level of the Percussion (with additional content by me)

In addition, every tweeter or widerange driver shows extreme beaming at 20kHz and even slight off-axis listening further lowers the sound pressure level of the sound arriving at the ear considerably.

Even with on-axis listening, the natural head movement when hearing music will ensure that the ear only temporarily captures the sound optimally at 20kHz (very likely even only a fraction optimal).
1678745974700.png
Source

for a possible car audio application yesterday.
In the car, the head movement is even more pronounced (depends of course also on your skill level ;)) and it is very unlikely that you will hear the full range driver exactly on axis.
 
Top Bottom