[spencer_uk]

Hi,

I just bought a pair of Ultimate Ears Pro 5 earphones. I have had a set of shure e3cs for a few years which were great until I heard these. Very impressive.

Anyway, in the box there is a warning not to listen to these too loudly - fair enough.... however it also says don't listen to them for more than an hour a day. That suprised me a bit. How serious are they? Or is it just to cover their backs. I really don't listen to my music loud (there is no need to with these), e.g. quarter volume on my mp3 player when I used to listen to them at 80% on my sennheisers. What do people reckon?

Thanks,

[mattski73]

interesting, but with the impedance at 119dB and considering the type of headphones they are, what do you expect to happen? that's not a criticism.

[Steven]

Did you read the label correctly?

All portable headphones have a disclaimer that says listen to x db for 6 hours, and that amount goes down as you turn the volume up, to something like 15 min listening time for a really high db

And you're right, they are covering themselves. Besides 1/4 volume sounds about right for IEMs

[alexs2]

It's well established medical fact that listening to music at high levels for extended periods of time WILL result in hearing loss over time.

Obviously this is level related,and time related,but the point is the same.

The manufacturers are simply warning you that damage is possible.

[spencer_uk]

Thanks - I figured as much. I saw the chart that suggested noise exposure limits, eg.

90dB(A) = 8 hours
100dB(A) = 2 hours
105dB(A) = 1 hour

however there is a line of text in the manual saying:
"Accordingly, we recommend
never exceeding 50% of the permitted volume on your audio playing
device and limiting your use of headphones to durations of one hour or
less per day. Decibel levels of 85 dB(A) are dangerous to your hearing
and may cause hearing loss."

which is a bit of a different message. On one hand they say 90 for 8 hours is fine and on the other they say 85 is dangerous, never use your audio source above 50% volume or for more than 1 hour in a day.

[alexs2]

Originally Posted by spencer_uk

Thanks - I figured as much. I saw the chart that suggested noise exposure limits, eg.

90dB(A) = 8 hours
100dB(A) = 2 hours
105dB(A) = 1 hour

however there is a line of text in the manual saying:
"Accordingly, we recommend
never exceeding 50% of the permitted volume on your audio playing
device and limiting your use of headphones to durations of one hour or
less per day. Decibel levels of 85 dB(A) are dangerous to your hearing
and may cause hearing loss."

which is a bit of a different message. On one hand they say 90 for 8 hours is fine and on the other they say 85 is dangerous, never use your audio source above 50% volume or for more than 1 hour in a day.

As above,these are guidelines,and suggested limits,that are found to hold true for most people exposed to levels of noise.

Certainly excess levels,105dB and above for instance,are associated with rapid hearing loss,usually recoverable if exposed for short periods,and not so if exposed for longer or sustained periods.