Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler WoW! THAT is LOUD!

The loudest concert I've ever heard (and besides working at them, I don't attend many arena shows - artists I like play smaller venues) was here what, two years ago... the artist's name rhymes with "Picklesnack" and even from where I was across the arena in my booth, behind glass, I was wearing 35dB attenuating deep-canal foam earplugs (rather than musician-style like I often wear).

The audio engineers took SPL readings during the concert but wouldn't pass along what the numbers were (would be an admission of guilt for the venue in case of lawsuit)... but even in my fishbowl, I would have been subjected to levels higher for the time period I was there than allowed by Workplace Safety and Health laws.

It's one thing to "live" the music at a concert, but if it means you'll never heard correctly again after one night of listening - it better be the best damn show you've ever seen.

Bren R.

In reply to:

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Loudest sound possible 194dB

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I'm interested in the physics behind that statistic. Is that limit dependent upon the medium of transmission (in this case, air)?

Same here Peter, though for me it's considerably louder than that before I hear it. I went to the ENT doc and he checked me out and said I was fine. It's the worst in a crowded room of people with music playing, like at a party...if I have to yell above the crowd or even start laughing loudly I really hear it then. VERY annoying. Thank goodness it only happens when things are crazy loud though. I've never measured exactly when I hear it, but I tend to think it's around 90-95db.

I haven't measured the exact thresshold, either. And crowded rooms with music playing, such as a busy restaurant or party -- happens to me in that situation, too.

Well,
I'm glad to hear back from at least a smpling that those kind of of levels are uncomfortable.
I spent way too many years going to hundreds of live shows where the levels were just out of control. Spent 10 years seeing the Dead. While they played really loud for years, for the last several I was going, Healy, their sound genius, finally figured out that the band was doing more damage to themselves and their fans than they realized with the sound levels. He was the driving force behind the band going over to the in-ear monitors and under-the-stage amps, and then activly kept the levels in the hall in check as well. He took a lot of heat for it from the fans, but just said that he was not going to continue to damage the band's hearing, or their fan's either.
Now I'm pretty careful about my ears, always have the plugs in with power tools, the lawn mower, while on the bike, ect...
I know my hearing is not what it could be. I can hear a pin drop if I am only listening to one thing, but if I am in a crowded restaurant I have a terrible time hearing normal conversation.
And my music is too cherished to me to do any more damage than I already have.
I'm glad that some of the rest of you guys are doing the same.