• Question: What's the optimum volume for listening to music?

    Asked by joouth to Asif, Laura, Lena, Sean on 21 Mar 2012.
    • Photo: Sean Murphy

      Sean Murphy answered on 21 Mar 2012:

      Eighty decibels is about the same level as ambient street noise, and existing U.S. government guidelines for workplace noise levels generally consider it a safe level for extended exposure. Other governments have limited things like MP3 players to have a maximum volume of 100 decibels. So you should never really need to use your MP3 player at more than 80% volume. That said, the quieter you have you music the better for your hearing.

    • Photo: Lena Ciric

      Lena Ciric answered on 21 Mar 2012:

      Ha-ha! Good question. Sean’s given you a good answer. In the end, it’s up to you. If you feel like it, turn it up loud. As long as it doesn’t feel uncomfortable, it’s alright. My ears rang for a day after I went to a gig years ago. I was worried about it at the time, but all seems well now. Phew…

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