Review of headphones with volume limiter for safe listening

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What is a safe volume through IEMs?

Thread starter
willw
Start date
Jul 1, 2009

What do other Head-Fiers consider too loud when listening through IEMs?

I’ve had tinnitus for 18 months – the sort that manifests as a continuous high pitched tone in the head. It started quietly, increasing in volume before settling at just loud enough to be annoying if I allowed myself to focus on it.

A couple of weeks ago I bought a Cowon iAudio7 and a set of Senn IE7s, which I love. I spent much of last week burning in and working out how to get a seal, so was listening to a lot of music on and off. I listened at anywhere between 15 to 24, mostly around 20 (audio7 scale goes to 40). Didn’t seem over loud – I resisted the urge to let it rip as I’m understandably wary of doing any further damage to my ears.

On friday I became aware that the tinnitus had doubled in volume, along with a feeling of very slight pressure in the ears. The pressure has perhaps let up, or I’ve simply adjusted to it, but it seems like I’m stuck with this new level of maddening noise. I’m not even going to try describe the horrors of this. I either find a way to make myself deaf to it, or it’s a one way trip to Dignitas in Zurich……

I’d be interested to know what others who listen to music thru IEMs consider a safe volume. I’m loathe to give up completely – in fact I may need to block out the whining noise more and more – but am terrified of causing yet more damage. I’m assuming of course that my IEM listening is the cause of this sudden step up in volume of the tinnitus. Seems a hell of a coincidence if not….

its more or less the same as regular headphones. Although IEMs are more damaging to hearing, they frequently isolate better which means that you can get comparable perceived loudness.
I still prefer to listen as quiet as possible.
I think you need not worry about your tinnitus playing up when using IEMs (unless it is very annoying) as its probably a result of the sound being trapped due to isolation and possibly due to the highs, depending on what headphone you are using.

If you have any fullsized headphones, get an SPL meter, and check the volume you listen at on your full size. Generally you want it to be below 80 dB if you’re oging to listen for more than 2 hours.
You can listen for twice as long for every 5 dB reduction (I can get a graph of this stuff, if you like).
Then just try and set your iems to a similar sound (as theyre far harder to measure).

I have a Cowon iAudio G3 with a pair of Etymotic ER-4Ps, and my listening level never exceeds 12 (and that tends to be only for stuff that is very quiet). I listen to this when I’m on the bus, so there is plenty of ambient noise, but the Etys block the noise very well, and I can still maintain my listening level.

I am going to stop using IEMs, i took my daughter for a hearing test (she was fine) and the Doctor spotted my klipsch customs, we had a chat about them and he says he is seeing more and more people under the age of 30 with the same hearing issues 50 – 60 year olds typically have and he reckoned that over 90% of them said they had been using in ears or buds for 3 or more years.
He then tested my hearing and it was below average for my age , it topped out at 15-16khz.
He said if i want to continue using in ears , limit them to no more than an hour a day and always keep the volume below 60-70%.

I really value my hearing and i am not going to risk it, HD228s and Grados from now on i think.

For IEMs, try this:

Mute your source, then increase the volume by the smallest increments until you can “hear” some music (enough for you to recognize the song and follow along).
Listen at this volume for an hour or two (more preferably every time you use IEM on that day).
I don’t recommend wearing your IEM while you sleep, but that’s your preference and sometimes a necessity.

The next day increase the volume again, till you feel the sound is a bit more “musical” or detailed, listen at that volume, again.
You can see where I’m getting at, keep this up and you’ll realize you can enjoy music at a fairly safe volume.

Personally never used more than a third of possible volume.

Quote:

Originally Posted by decay /img/forum/go_quote.gif
For IEMs, try this:

Personally never used more than a third of possible volume.

Some head/Earphones suck until they reach a certain volume and with some of them its quite high.

Spyro

Headphoneus Supremus

Quote:

Originally Posted by astroid /img/forum/go_quote.gif
He said if i want to continue using in ears , limit them to no more than an hour a day and always keep the volume below 60-70%.

I really value my hearing and i am not going to risk it, HD228s and Grados from now on i think.

With all due respect, that shows the doctor’s ignorance. 60-70% of what? Does he think all IEMs/buds have identical sensitivity? I hate when this type of mis-information is given, especially from a doctor. Not sure how a headphone is safer either? 100dB is 100dB whether it is an IEM 2 centimeters away from your eardrum, a headphone 2 inches away or a jetliner 30 feet away.

Quote:

Originally Posted by astroid /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Some head/Earphones suck until they reach a certain volume and with some of them its quite high.

Which is actually the benefit of using higher-quality iems, as well as using a quality amp. It’s not about increasing volume at all, contrary to what people like to talk about around here. The ability to have a full dynamic range with clarity, etc. at very low volumes is a benefit of amping well, though not all portable amps I’ve tried do this well. One of the reasons I was so impressed with the so-to-be-released Pico Slim at CanJam was that you could turn it down to practically inaudible levels with perfect channel balance. I was also impressed for years with my Ety ER4Ps, for being able to reproduce great sound at a low volume without an amp. Same with the Shure 420s and 530s. I’m not that familiar with a lot of the newer model iems around, but with or without an amp (some amps are only good for increasing volume), listening at low levels is crucial. I value my hearing too much.

hmmmm anyone has a recommendation for a portable SPL meter? might be worth checking out..

Quote:

Originally Posted by astroid /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Some head/Earphones suck until they reach a certain volume and with some of them its quite high.

You are compensating for either the lack of power your source can provide at a low gain
or the lack of detail and transparency of your IEM/headphone with higher volume.

IMO that’s a trade-off I’ll never take, for aural enjoyment in a short period
(compared to how much longer you’ll hear) you are endangering your ability to
listen. There is no replacement for a good pair of ears.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spyro /img/forum/go_quote.gif
With all due respect, that shows the doctor’s ignorance. 60-70% of what? Does he think all IEMs/buds have identical sensitivity? I hate when this type of mis-information is given, especially from a doctor. Not sure how a headphone is safer either? 100dB is 100dB whether it is an IEM 2 centimeters away from your eardrum, a headphone 2 inches away or a jetliner 30 feet away.

there are more reflections from a properly-sealed IEM which results in a slightly higher SPL for “equally loud” music.
I agree with what others are saying about getting higher quality IEMs. When i listen to my ER4P straight from the STX i have the vista volume slider at 0 (yes, 0) and i still find it very enjoyable.

I periodically run into the same claptrap that says you listen to music at level X, then have to turn it up to X+1, then X+2, then X+3 to get the same rush. My actual experience is completely the opposite. When I first listen to music, I’ll find myself settling at X but as I settle in further, I’ll pull back to X-1, then again to X-2, etc.

Choosing sound is a little like ordering fast food. Until you get your taste, your eyes (or in this case, your ears) are bigger than your stomach (or in this case, your actual audio craving). We tend to take the audio version of the big bite or big swig, eager to immerse ourselves in the experience. But once you get that first taste, you can settle in and gradually taper off. There’s no reason you should limit your experience to some audio trickle that has you barely hearing anything. Enjoy the feast, but just be aware of how easy it is to crank it past your needs, then thoughtfully let up on the throttle.

The classic reason to “crank it up” is the desire to hear certain effects, such as throbbing bass, drum rolls or HF detail. The crappier the system – whether we’re talking about loudspeakers, headphones or IEMs – the louder you’ll crank it to hear the stuff that gets lost in the sonic mud. The better the system, the greater the signal separation and the greater the enjoyment at safer volumes. Your musical experience should be vivid. Otherwise, what’s the point? But the kneejerk need to crank higher and higher is greasy kid stuff. You don’t need a sound meter to find the right balance.

By the way, when I put my phones through my M^3, I rarely want more than 50%. Beyond that, it sounds like it’s screaming at me. If anything, better isolation means you have nothing to compete with and therefore nothing to compensate for. There’s a nutritionist at Brigham Young University who says you can pretty much eat anything and lose weight by simply listening to your body and stopping at satiety. Enjoy your food but gauge how much you eat, not by the size of the portion or whether you’ve “cleaned your plate” but by the feedback you’re getting from your body. It’s a truth I discovered independently (but was happy to see confirmed by somebody with a Ph.D.) as I let my needs dictate my choices.

Quote:

Originally Posted by CDBacklash /img/forum/go_quote.gif
there are more reflections from a properly-sealed IEM which results in a slightly higher SPL for “equally loud” music.
I agree with what others are saying about getting higher quality IEMs. When i listen to my ER4P straight from the STX i have the vista volume slider at 0 (yes, 0) and i still find it very enjoyable.

I doubt you can mute your mixer (unless you bypass it or the default sound card)
and still hear any sound but the background hiss, I presume you mean a nudge above 0

Quote:

Originally Posted by willw /img/forum/go_quote.gif
What do other Head-Fiers consider too loud when listening through IEMs?

I have a tinitus along with a hearing loss for 6 years now. Really annoying. That’s why I don’t sleep without music on.

The

MAX

volume setting I reach on my Cowon D2+ with Senn’s CX 500 is 15! At home I use 4 and in bed 3.

20 is crazy. Everything even louder is insane.

ClieOS

IEM Reviewer Extraordinaire

Quote:

Originally Posted by CDBacklash /img/forum/go_quote.gif
its more or less the same as regular headphones. Although IEMs are more damaging to hearing, they frequently isolate better which means that you can get comparable perceived loudness.
I still prefer to listen as quiet as possible.
I think you need not worry about your tinnitus playing up when using IEMs (unless it is very annoying) as its probably a result of the sound being trapped due to isolation and possibly due to the highs, depending on what headphone you are using.

First of, IEM are not more damaging to hearing – volume is, regardless of what kind of headphone you used. 100dB SPL is 100db SPL whether it is from a IEM or a big can, trapped or not. It can be blasted from a speaker 100ft away and still causes the same amount of damage if it reaches your eardrum at 100dB SPL. The whole point of using IEM is so that user can turn the volume down as low as possible. However, it doesn’t mean people will always follow the instruction and practice safe listening. It is not the fault of IEM.

The increase of tinnitus can have many reasons beside volume. Stress, such as putting an unfamiliar object into the earcanal, can worsen tinnitus. Fatigue due to critical listening and irritation due to frequent insertion and removal of earpiece are both possible causes. It is simply not easy to tell the root cause of the problem, and it can even be a mix of all pf them. Of course, volume can still be a reason – sometime you ‘think’ you are listening on a safe volume but you are not. My personal guideline is, listen in a volume as low as you can still enjoy, not as high as you can bear.

My suggestion is, stopping using any headphones for a while. Do visit an ENT doctor if you feel like you need to.