All kinds of music require volume. It has to be listened to loud. But how loud and for how long? Here’s a quick guide.
- If you listen to music for long periods of time, 85 dB is about the maximum. You can listen for up to eight hours with no damage to your hearing.
- But turn things up to 88 dB, and the tolerance drops to around four hours.
- At 91 dB, two hours, max. If you’re at 94 dB, you’d better stop after an hour. Beyond that, things can get dangerous.
- If sound pressure levels are at 100 dB, you may suffer hearing damage in as little as 15 minutes.
- And if things are at 110 dB or beyond, damage starts within a few minutes. If you’re near the speakers, problems start within seconds.
© 2026 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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