headphone volume on the freeway?

[dpopiz]

I think I may have asked this question here a long time ago, but I never really got a straight answer...

I have some earmuff headphones that barely block outside noise at all, so when I'm on the freeway or another noisy place, it's very hard to hear the music from my mp3 player. My question is: is it bad for my ears to turn the volume up to a point where it drowns out the outside noise and I can hear the music? I seem to remember hearing something about how dB's don't just add right on top of each other, that 40dB + 55dB doesn't equal 95dB. Can anyone give me a straight answer and assure me that I'm not ruining my hearing by having the headphones turned up loud.

 

[zephyrprime]

You may be ruining your hear if you're turning it up too loud. I don't really know how loud it needs to be though. Db don't add linearly as you point out. They add logarithmically.

 

[dkozloski]

I thought you were supposed to be listening for emergency vehicle sirens and warning horn blasts from other drivers. Instead here we have another inattentive road hazard in his soundproof cocoon. Well excuuuuuuuse me! On second thought, at least you're not reading a book or watching soap operas on TV like others I've encountered.

 

[kylebisme]

it is ilegal to operate a vehicle with headpones on in most states, maybe all by now. regardless it is not safe at all, you are just asking to die in a high speed acedent, your hearing be damned.

as for db im not sure exactly how they add up but you are right 40+55 does not equal 95 in when it comes to db.


also reading a book or watching a tv is also illegal, in evey state, the charge is inatentive driveng and its a hefty one on the insurace.

 

[Descend492]

zephyrprime is correct - a dB is a linear representation of a logarithmically varying intensity. The equation for sound decibels is 20 log (p1/p2) = dB level. Where p1 and p2 are the sound level produced, and a reference sound level (typicall 20 micropascals). Our ear hears things on a logarithmic scale as well, which means that doubling the decibels doubles the loudness as we interpret it, however the intensity (amplitude) can be a large factor greater - very damaging.

 

[dpopiz]

don't worry guys...I mean on the freeway when I'm not driving, also for listening in places where lots of peeps are talking or whatever.
so does anybody have a real answer? -- oh yeah I thought it also had something to do with the frequencies of the sounds, like that if they're similar frequencies it's much louder or something

 

[Nadbusta]

Descend had the right answer, but maybe I can clarify it ...

At low volumes, you don't have to increase the energy much to increase the volume of your headphones. But at high volumes, you have to deliver a lot more energy to your ears to increase the volume by the same amount. That's what Descend means by a logarithmic scale. So basically the last couple of notches on your volume control are a whole lot more damaging to your ears than the first couple.

So ... you probably shouldn't really be doing it! Something to try ... note what level your volume is set to when you're in the car, and try listening to your headphones on that level when you are in a quiet room, you'll probably be surprised what a blasting your ears are getting.

In a perfect world we could all afford noise cancellation headphones.

 

[dpopiz]

ok yeah well that's what I was wondering....I've tried listening to the car volume in a quiet room and it is very loud, but I thought maybe in the presense of outside noise, the high volume woudn't be so loud or damaging because the noise is "canceling it out"...does this hold any truth?

 

[dkozloski]

Definately not. Speaking as someone with a profound hearing loss as the result of loud noise(cannon fire). What you are experiencing is signal to noise ratio. This is the loudness of what you are trying to hear compared to background. What you need to know is that the louder the noise, the greater the damage to your hearing, no matter the source. Those of us with hearing loss that wish to turn up the sound we want to hear only do more damage. Carefully guard the hearing you have. As a rule of thumb if you feel pain in your hearing or your ears ring after a loud noise, you have done permanent damage from which you will never fully recover.

 

[dpopiz]

aw geez!
well, in that case...who knows what the best sound-isolating headphones are that I can get for under $50?

The Highly Technical Forum is not for purchase advice.

AnandTech Moderator

 

[Howard]

Under $50!