Ok, I saw a post from a guy the other day who claimed to listen to everything at dolby reference level

This would deafen me within a week. Anyway it got me thinking about our hearing and the products that we buy.

I am 36 and apparently too old to hear these new 'hoody scaring alarms' which the police have introduced. Therefore my hearing must have degraded to some point.

Which begs the question - How many of us (30+?) are actually getting the most out of the equipement we buy?

[sbowler]

Good point Jakal, and I suppose the simple answer is, None of us. Unless your about 16 and then I suppose it sounds brilliant! Its the same with vision as well you get slightly more long sighted with age, I have heard. Thats life what can you do? May have to swap the Denon amp for an Amstrad music centre.

[JohnG]

This is a dumb question I know ! But what is reference level ? Is there a marker on my Denon 3805 amp to say what reference level is ?

[BazMan]

Originally Posted by JohnG

This is a dumb question I know ! But what is reference level ? Is there a marker on my Denon 3805 amp to say what reference level is ?

I was told (right here) that it was 0db on the amp

[JohnG]

Blimey I've only ever managed -12 on a couple of DVDs.

Originally Posted by BazMan

I was told (right here) that it was 0db on the amp

Yep it really is that loud scary or what!

[BazMan]

Originally Posted by jakal

Yep it really is that loud scary or what!

Very. I've only ever managed -15db, for the sake of the neighbours

[Steven]

About the hoody alarms (I can hear them grandad ), our hearing degenerate naturally. Hoody alarms are just set just outside of the range of anyone, I believe older than 24

*sings* We were young, we were free, I have better hearing

.........Ah, but I grew up before the time of ear bursting Ipods/mobiles yours is going to degenerate far more quickly hoody boy

[stevefish69]

Maybe it's my hearing degrading that causes my yearly bout of upgraditus

I normally listen at -20db at night and -15db in the daytime. I can't believe people actually listen to films at reference level without attracting the local Enviromental health officers.

[Nick_UK]

Originally Posted by BazMan

I was told (right here) that it was 0db on the amp

No such thing. The sound level would be dependent on the output power of the amp, the efficiency of the speakers used, and the input level of the signal.

[GBDG1]

Originally Posted by jakal

Yep it really is that loud scary or what!

With your speakers... he might be using some Eltax bookshelfs.

[Mrs AutomanUK]

OK.. now I know I am officially old ! Perhaps the fact that I have never heard of a hoody alarm, let alone heard one go off is reason enough for me to apply for my 30+ pension !! Tell me this though.. if kids hearing is so darn good, why do they need to have their music so damn loud ?!! Seems to me that we caused our own hearing loss through neglect to ourselves in our youth rather than an aging process !!!

[GBDG1]

I dont know if you acctually want this explaining... but I will anyway.

The ear drum is like the skin of a drum, the tighter it is the higher the noise it makes, the slacker it is the lower the noise it makes. The same applies to what can be picked up by the ear drum, which has a membrane that converts the sound vibrations into what you hear... As you get older the ear drum becomes effectivly slacker so you can't hear frequencies at the higher end of the scale.

[shahedz]

great explanation,

[danny daniell]

I went & had a listen to Gizlarocs system a while back & have never heard anything so loud in my life! (excellent quality mind ) . He said it was -10db from reference level....god only knows what reference level sounds like! ,tbh,i can`t imagine how anybody could listen to it.....it must be earsplitting.
Having said that,i went to see Armageddon at The Odeon in Leicester Sq a few years back & came out with my ears ringing....it can`t be good for you surely?

[shodan]

So the "yoof" may have better hearing than us, but have you heard the rubbish they listen to and call noise? Honestly, I ask you... *wonders off mumbling to himself to get his cardigan and bedroom slippers*..

[scouse]

Originally Posted by Lawrenzini

I dont know if you acctually want this explaining... but I will anyway.

The ear drum is like the skin of a drum, the tighter it is the higher the noise it makes, the slacker it is the lower the noise it makes. The same applies to what can be picked up by the ear drum, which has a membrane that converts the sound vibrations into what you hear... As you get older the ear drum becomes effectivly slacker so you can't hear frequencies at the higher end of the scale.

there is also the loss of stereocillia within the cochlea which are fundamental in converting the vibrations of noise into electrical signals... you only have 3500 of these and they are very easily damaged, especially with loud music which offer larger vibrations.

[danny daniell]

Originally Posted by scouse

there is also the loss of stereocillia within the cochlea which are fundamental in converting the vibrations of noise into electrical signals... you only have 3500 of these and they are very easily damaged, especially with loud music which offer larger vibrations.

It`s a wonder i can hear anything then after what i put myself through during my raving days!....

[neilneil]

Nick_UK has the correct answer in that 0db reference level is the volume setting on each amp that equals no attenuation i.e. FULL POWER. So 0db is different for each amp depending on what it's full power rating is.

With regards to the loss of high frequency with age. The brain adjusts throughout our lives to how good our hearing is. So when we are 50, we may be totally convinced that our hifi sounds no different from what we hear in reality because our hearing is so bad. So we can all look forward to a more convincing sounding system the older we get.


-Neil

[GW43]

Get yourself a test-tone CD and shock yourself at how little of your system's frequency range you can actually hear! Being the wrong side of 40, I can hear 12.5KHz, but the 16KHz tone is something I think I'm aware of, but not sure. Most of the top octave is history as far as I'm concerned!

Some useful info here (or should that be hear? )

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu...d/earsens.html

[davisneil]

Dolby reference level is in a cinema, level 7 on the processor which is calibrated to give 85 dB pink noise signal level to a mic positioned slightly off centre in an auditorium. At home this would mean if you were sat on the sofa listening to pink noise it would hit your ears at 85dB! of course films run louder or quieter than this, but exposure time, intensity, frequency and individual hearing health has to be factored in to assess individual hearing damage.