The safest way to enjoy music at louder volumes is to understand how the following contribute to hearing loss.
F requency (or regularity) of exposure
I ntensity of the sound (decibels)
T ime of exposure
To keep your hearing "F.I.T" limit one or more of these.
Check out the 'Noise Exchange Rate' for more information.
Do a quick test:
If you need to raise your voice or shout in order to be heard over background noise, then it has the potential to damage your hearing.
Some real life examples:
Compare the dB levels of these real life examples to the 'Noise Exchange Rate' and determine how long you can be exposed to noise at that level before it becomes potentially harmful to your hearing.
The Noise Exchange Rate
Check out the graph below.
Notice that with only a small increase in decibels (left hand column) the allowable exposure time (right hand column) drastically reduces.
For example, at 85dB safe exposure time is roughly 8 hours; at 88dB the exposure time is cut to 4 hours and at 91dB it is cut to 2 hours etc.
Graph courtesy of Australian Hearing (www.hearing.com.au)
