Your Hearing is Priceless for home theater please care for it

[lakshmant]

Many of us have mega systems which can pump out hundred's of watts of power and sub woofers that can literally shake rooms. But we must also be prudent about the sound levels we listen to. Anything above 85 db on a continuous basis will damage hearing permanently. Modern movie soundtracks have enormous dynamic range and even entry level HTIB systems nowadays can easily hit these levels without distortion. Please use a SPL meter to check how loud the sound is the room. Momentary peaks of a few seconds at 100-105 db will not damage hearing but continuous 90 db+ exposure will definitely cause it very soon.

Noise and Hearing Loss

I found a SPL meter manufacturer link below.
Pulsecho Systems - Manufacturers of Ultrasonic & Electronic Instruments
NOTE-I am not promoting any SPL meters

This calculator shows that you need just around 35-65 watts per channel in a small to mid sized room which is 1500-2500 cubic feet to achieve dolby theatrical cinema levels of 105 db which is insanely loud in a home environment

http://myhometheater.homestead.com/splcalculator.html

I just found this thread about someone who permanently lost his hearing with a loud audio system.

Hearing Loss Help Loud Music and Hearing Loss

Laksh

 

[Vijay_s]

Thanks a lot for such a nice information. As per the calculator my dB SPL at listening position is 112.8. :sad:

 

[alladinkachirag]

After inputting the number the SPL at my listening position came out to be 107!! I am scared to bones...