OK, I just tried listening at 105 db, peek, weighting C. Umm, it is incredibly loud. My 150watt amp wasn’t clipping, but I am sure there isn’t a lot of headroom left at that level.
I may on occasion listen that loud when I am demonstrating to friends. But would probably never listen at the level for long periods of time (30 min. plus). I enjoy my hobby of HT and music listening, and it just wouldn’t be the same without being able to hear. It is cool that the M80s and my amp can perform at this level though.
Permanent hearing loss can occur at 85db constant for 8 hours. At 108 db you are getting to the volume of a chainsaw or some rock concerts.
I would also be careful to make sure you are not clipping your amp. I am going to bet most HT receivers on the market can’t sustain that level of sound (15ft away) without damaging the speakers. If you have separates, you are in better shape. For 108db I would recommend at minimum 150 watts into 4 ohms, 200 would be better.
I usually listen between 85 db and 95db, occasionally hitting 100db (depending on if the wife is home or not).
http://www.dangerousdecibels.org/hearingloss.cfmInteresting chart halfway down the page, showing sound levels and permissable time to avaoid hearing loss. 108db is less than 4 minutes.
paul
