Ongoing History Daily: How long should you listen to loud music?

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.