Safe Volume for Headphones & How to Tell If They’re Too Loud

In this guide, you’ll learn what is a safe volume for headphones and how to tell if your headphones are too loud.

Don’t suffer from hearing loss because you didn’t know how to set the right volume.

See the headphone decibels chart below.

As you probably already know, listening to loud music can cause noise-induced hearing loss. There is evidence that some hearing loss is caused by listening to headphones. This study found hearing loss in those who listen to headphones.

But the only reason listening to headphones can be dangerous is excessive volume and extended listening time.

When you set the right volume level, headphones are perfectly safe.

Let’s find out what that means below.

How Loud Is Too Loud for Headphones?

US government agencies CDC NIOSH and OSHA recommend to limit 8-hour noise exposure to 85 dB. That’s equal to roughly 60-65% in average headphone volume. See the headphone decibel chart further below.

• The CDC National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) sets the 8-hour recommended exposure limit at 85 decibels.
• The United States Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) allows workplace noise levels of up to 85dB for an 8-hour workday.

Noise exposure above 85 dB or longer than 8 hours is considered dangerous.

How loud can headphones get?

Most headphones reach 100 dB – 105 dB at max loudness, considerably over the recommended limit.

Headphones and earbuds sometimes advertise the sound level they are capable of reaching. Take it with a grain of salt. Don’t rely on headphones to keep your volume safe. Some are able to go far higher than what is safe.

But first, let’s answer more questions:

Which type of headphones is louder?

Earbuds or in-ear headphones sit in the ear canal and their proximity to the eardrum makes them potentially the loudest. But all types of headphones can be too loud. Other types like the best bone conduction headphones and open-back headphones put less pressure on the ears, but as long as volume is under dangerous levels.

How sound travels through our ears

We hear sounds by the vibration of the eardrum. This vibration then runs to the cochlea via tiny bones in our ear. The cochlea has thousands of hairs within it to sense sound. The vibrations move them. Eventually, if the sound is too loud, they lose sensitivity. Loud noises cause the hairs to bend, and lead to hearing loss.

Sometimes, hearing loss is temporary. Cells can recover, but not always. If they are damaged permanently, they will no longer play a part in your hearing. There is no cure for it, either.

Your hearing health should be a priority as you can’t repair it.

In the short term, listening loudly won’t cause instant damage. Though, over time, it can cause hearing loss and you won’t even notice it.

What is Safe Volume for Headphones?

As established before by CDC and OSHA, the safe volume for headphones when listening for up to 8 hours is under 85 decibels.

But how long can you listen if you max out the headphone volume?

Or what’s the recommended volume limit if you want to listen to headphones for the whole day?

We’ve created a decibel chart for headphones with NIOSH – CDC recommended duration limit and a rough guide on volume %.

The headphone decibel chart:

The volume % guidelines are based on our measurements of AirPods 3 and AirPods Max loudness. The data is relevant for headphones in general as they fall in the range.

But expect a 2 – 4 dB difference from model to model, so use the guidelines with that in mind.

Here’s a table of real-life examples of noise loudness and max exposure:

For more tips see:

• Our headphone safety guide
• Is Bluetooth safe?

Ways to Check If Your Headphones Are Too Loud

The best way to check if your headphones are too loud is with a sound level metter app on your smartphone.

Now, specialized measuring equipment that we use for testing is more accurate, but most people don’t have access to it.

So, the next best thing is to use a dedicated app.

Search for “sound level meter” on your app store or use the most popular apps for Android and iPhone below.

iPhone: Decibel X:dB Sound Level Meter

Android: Sound Meter

Windows: Decibel Meter

To measure how loud your headphones are, turn on the music on your headphones, get the smartphone with the app ready, and get the phone’s microphone as close to the headphones as possible.

Keep in mind, the measurements will not be 100% accurate. Consider a discrepancy of a few dB. So, always keep the volume lower instead of the limit.

How to check the decibles of headphones without an app

You can guess how many decibels your music is by comparing it to known sound. But this is far less accurate and should serve as a general guide.

Here are some examples of sounds in nature and their decibels:

• A wristwatch is at around 20 dB.
• The sound of a soft whisper is about 30 dB.
• The volume of normal conversation is about 60 decibels.
• An alarm clock sits at around 80 dB, though this can be misleading as alarm clocks are sudden, so they feel louder.
• Heavy traffic in a city is around 80 dB level too.
• On the other extremes, firearms are at about 150 dB.

Want more?

The table below shows other daily loud noises and the decibel levels they reach:

Signs that your headphones are too loud

As it’s hard to get exact decibel readings, you might rely on certain signs that your volume has crept up too loud.

The most obvious sign that your headphones or earbuds are too loud is noticeable hearing damage.

• Ear ringing after listening to headphones (tinnitus)
• Muffled voices and struggling to hear people in a conversation
• Noticeable hearing regression on one side
• Difficulties hearing high-pitched sounds
• Difficulties differentiating between “s” and “f,” “p” and “t,” and “sh” and “th.”
• Increasing the volume of your TV higher to understand words
• Sensitivity to certain sounds and frequencies (hyperacusis)

When you crank up the volume, you might even get a slightly painful reaction to the volume. That’s your ears telling you to lower it.

If you are using your headphones to drown out other sounds, you are overloading your ears. Try noise-cancelling headphones, which cancel out the unwanted noise, so you can listen at a lower volume.

Also check:

• Are active noise cancelling headphones safe?
• The best noise cancelling earbuds
• The top noise isolating headphones

Arm headphone volume test

If you’re listening to your music around other people, they shouldn’t be able to hear it. Set it to a comfortable level, and then put the headphones on. Ask others nearby if they can hear the sound bleeding out.

The only time sound leakage is okay is with open-back headphones.

There is a simple test you can carry out if you’re not around others. Set the headphones at the volume you normally would listen at. Then hold them in your hands at arm’s length away from you. If you can still hear the audio clearly, it’s too loud.

Make sure the place you do this is away from loud sounds, so you have a fair test. This isn’t a scientific method, but it is a good way to see if decibel levels are under limits.

When to Seek Medical Attention

If you experience:

• sudden hearing loss that lasts more than a few seconds
• intense pain in one or both ears
• ringing that doesn’t go away (tinnitus)
• drainage or seeping coming from the ear

In all these cases, seek medical help immediately to avoid and possibly remedy the problem.

What is Safe Headphone Volume for Kids

According to World Health Organization (WHO) a safe headphone volume for kids is under 75 decibels. WHO also recommends children listen to a personal audio devices under 40 hours per week.

More and more children are using headphones with tablets and smartphones. Monitoring your kid’s headphones is vital as they won’t be able to spot the signs of hearing loss on their own.

Children are still developing, and hearing loss occurs at lower decibels than in adults.

Shorter exposure to louder sound is fine, but prolonged use should be monitored by parents.

If you let your kid watch a 1h 30min cartoon with headphones, keep the volume under 85 dB preferably under 80 dB.

Loud music is more damaging to children’s hearing than adults. If you notice them listening to headphones loudly, then explain that it isn’t good for them.

How to ensure safe listening for kids?

Get headphones with a volume limiter.

A volume limiter protects your kid’s ears by limiting the headphones’ max volume. So, even if they crank up the volume to 100% it will not reach dangerous levels.

But not all kids headphones have effective volume limiters. We tested dozens of headphones for kids and made a guide on which ones are the best:

• Check our guide on toddler headphones with a lower volume limit
• And the best headphones for older kids who’ve outgrown their toddler phase

FAQs

Read more:

• Noise pollution statistics

Conclusion

The truth is, as long as you know the basics of responsible listening, you don’t need to worry. Just be aware prolonged exposure to higher volumes is damaging.

If you’re listening to music for many hours at a time or work in an environment where it’s loud, be aware that your ears need a little break to recover.

And when you feel you need some loud music to get your rocks off, keep it to a couple of minutes. 10 to 15 minutes of your favorite songs at high volume should be enough to get your rocks off.

Occasional exposure to loud sounds probably won’t do you any damage. Just make sure you aren’t constantly putting pressure on your ears and causing long-term issues. Your ears are sensitive and precious. Be sure to look after them.

Matija Ferjan

Matija Ferjan is a seasoned audio enthusiast reviewing headphones since 2015. He has personally tested hundreds of headphones and earbuds. He’s an active member of the Headphone Audio community and a true nitpicker, always looking for the “best-value-for-money” headphones.