How loud do you like your music?

[thegeton]

I've always hated loud music. I guess I was an old man even in high school.

My son was born an old man. Even at 39 he likes his music REALLY loud, but you had best stay off his lawn.

 

[thegeton]

For me it's also becoming obvious that the body can't withstand everything you throw at it forever so better take care of it and moderate the strain. Knees, elbows, ears, back.

...liver, kidneys, cerebrum...

 

[bone215]

using hey 19
time stamp 119 to 219
dba. 68 avg. max 80
dbc. 78 avg max 86
dbz. 78 avg. max. 86

nf=noise floor
a nf 39-40
c nf. 46
z nf. 46-47

system
basement
jbl 305 mkii
4 jbl subs

 

[Babylon]

REW and UMIK-1, Hey Nineteen

SPL 58 dB(A) Slow
LZpeak 86

 

[Monster]

How loud do I like my music?

Slightly louder than my tinnitus.

 

[Esprit]

Currently: distance from the speakers 3.80 metres, 75dBA (80dBA peak) measured at the listening point (calibrated sound level meter).

 

[steve59]

I used to really crank it up, but, and I can accept there's skeptics that think i'm the devil incarnate for typing this... The current electronics paired to my speakers bring out much more detail at low volume that I no longer find it necessary to play at 90+ levels to hear everything on the track. I'm hearing full, detailed bass with the meters bouncing below a watt. I think the Blades are rated at 86 db at 1 meter.

 

[Multicore]

No, it doesn't depend! You're at home, it's your regular listening session, you're not drunk, you're not lowering volume bc of the dogs, we already established that. It's your day, all about you. The only criteria is the loudness you really enjoy for a decent listening session, at least an album. It's your preferred volume.

I did a little test on Thursday. I remembered really liking the song Giorgio by Moroder from that big-selling Daft Punk album and put it on. (Moroder's a superhero, perhaps the single most important influence on me starting about age 12.) So I put it on. I liked it enough to play it over at a nice volume and the SPL meter was somewhere in the low 90s. It was about 5pm and I felt I could get away with it for a few minutes. I'd have been happy to have it louder but I wasn't courageous enough.

I don't care for Daft Punk but this number has none of that ghastly DP vocoder and has glorious virtuoso drum solo that's just thrilling but also hilarious given the context. At the moment that Moroder explains becoming musically free, the track takes a completely un-Moroder like turn.

 

[Tell]

Depends greatly on type of music, mood etc. In the morning when I listen to ambient I listen at maybe 35-50dB, if I listen to chill, psydub, triphop etc I prefer to go louder, maybe 60-90dB, and if I'm in a really good mood an listen to psyglitch, forest, oldschool rave or whatever I really want it as loud as possible, so 90dB+.

 

[Brian Hall]

Listening to Ad Infinitum (a metal group) in my office right now. Got out the db meter (not a phone app) and it is peaking at 73db at my normal listening level.

I expected it to be louder than that.

 

[Peterinvan]

I am now in my 70s, and want to preserve my hearing as long as possible now that I am retired and have time to sit and listen to music. Therefore I try to listen at the lowest volume. I like acoustic instruments and distinct instruments across the stage.

I have decent gear and I find that on a lot of tracks there is a fine point when raising the volume where it all comes into focus. Any more and I get preoccupied about ear damage.

 

[a2Thompson]

I was surprised that using this test as prescribed I fall at 70db or so…maybe a little less in the mid 60s. But, I think a lot of it for me is based on lowish background noise. Low 30s if I’m lucky (again using the dB(A)). So 40 dB above background and the a total range of probably 60dB with peaks. If background noise is higher…then I listen louder. Maybe a good place to test that would be in the car?