Hearing limits and hearing health

Perception and sound character

Answers on this topic

Everything he said on this topic (33)

One-line summaries in our words, oldest first. Each link opens the original.

2014-04-17Watts says content above 22.05 kHz is inaudible (he hears to 16 kHz) but 4uS transient timing matters, and describes a planned pulse array ADC with multiple sample-rate outputs. Head-Fi, Apr 2014
2016-12-09Watts says HD800S gives 90dB SPL at 0.22v RMS, so 116 dB SPL from Hugo; much of external amps' supposed benefit is added distortion; he suggests EQ or Nighthawks. Head-Fi, Dec 2016
2017-02-19Watts doubts ultrasonics matter for realism, crediting higher rates' gains to timing, plans 50 kHz microphones for Davina, and says transparent EQ would need 350 dB at 768 kHz. Head-Fi, Feb 2017
2017-10-13Watts says nobody hears above 20 kHz and he cannot hear above 15 kHz, but very small errors in reconstructing transient timing profoundly affect music perception. miceblue425 9:42
2018-08-05Watts says TT2 gives an HD800 270 mW or 121 dB SPL from SE, warns that 100 dB damages hearing after 15 minutes, and advises no more than 85 dB beyond 8 hours. Head-Fi, Aug 2018
2019-01-26Watts says 192k recordings show only ADC noise above 30kHz, harmonics above 20k are inaudible, and hi-res helps by reducing timing uncertainty; Davina's noise starts above 500kHz. Head-Fi, Jan 2019
2019-04-10Watts attacks the industry's 'ringing is bad' meme, discusses ultrasonic intermodulation, distinguishes EQ pre-ringing from reconstruction, and calls transient timing the real problem. Head-Fi, Apr 2019
2019-06-13Watts says 96 kHz releases are better but not enormously; doubling sample rate only quarters the timing error, and M scaled CD beats 192k; Davina will test this. Head-Fi, Jun 2019
2019-10-21Watts says the HE6 has low sensitivity, but Hugo 2 would drive it to 110dB SPL, way above safe limits. Head-Fi, Oct 2019
2019-12-19Watts says left-right timing differences are resolved to between four and six microseconds, a placement cue, and that the ear is a poor bass transducer with few hairs. Passion for Sound 2:40
2020-01-02Watts says he could not hear above 16 kHz in his last test, puts his limit near 15 kHz, and says higher rates are about timing, not sine waves. Passion for Sound 1:03
2020-07-29Watts advises staying single-ended for the Abyss TC on TT2; -20H is low, up to +6H is possible, but that would reach a hearing-damaging 121dB SPL. Head-Fi, Jul 2020
2021-01-09Watts confirms the XLR wiring and says TT2 XLR gives the Abyss 7W per channel (126 dB SPL) and single-ended 1.8W (120 dB), so stay single-ended. Head-Fi, Jan 2021
2022-01-05Watts cites hearing loss at 100dB SPL within 15 minutes and at 80 dB after 2 hours, and advises measuring listening level and staying below 80dB. Head-Fi, Jan 2022
2022-01-31Watts says one reason for dropping line-level startup was users forgetting it, powering up, plugging in IEMs and blowing their ears out. Darko.Audio 17:18
2022-01-31Watts says they did not literally blow their ears out, but they did hurt themselves. needs context Darko.Audio 17:36
2022-03-27Watts says he would run Susvara from TT2 single-ended (95dB SPL; XLR gives 101 dB), warns over 80dB long-term damages hearing, and would never add a headphone amp. Head-Fi, Mar 2022
2022-09-18Watts says he sits close to the mixing desk at concerts because it is not quite so loud there. The Source AV 13:07
2022-09-18Watts says you have to protect your ears. The Source AV 13:15
2022-09-18Watts says he sits beside the mixing desk, you must protect your ears, "You can't go above 100", and levels above 80 dB are not for long periods. The Source AV 13:19
2022-09-18Watts says he recently bought flat earplugs. The Source AV 13:50
2022-09-18Watts says the earplugs give minus 20 dB with a flat frequency response and are so good they hardly seem to be doing anything. The Source AV 13:55
2022-09-18Watts says normal earplugs lose the high frequencies, while these make sound quieter but otherwise the same. The Source AV 14:05
2022-10-25Watts says the Ultima DAC and Choral scaler take much of his time, notes he hears to 15kHz at 62, and says HF hearing loss does not affect transient-timing perception. Head-Fi, Oct 2022
2023-03-28Watts says 250 kHz distortion is audible not because we hear 250 kHz but because high-frequency distortion changes transient timing. The Headphone Show 42:19
2023-03-30Watts gives Stealth SPL at 0dBFS (98.3 dB Hugo/Mojo, 100.0 Dave, 103.4 TT2 headphone, 109.1 balanced), warns against long listening above 80dB, and suggests volume settings. Head-Fi, Mar 2023
2023-05-20Watts says improving DAVE prototype harmonics from -120 dB to below -150 dB sounded brighter and more transparent; white volume cannot clip but deeper can, at ear-damaging levels. Head-Fi, May 2023
2023-06-18Watts says mains conditioners do little for RF, an external headphone amp only degrades transparency except perhaps with Susvara (92dB SPL max from Dave), and warns about 80dB. Head-Fi, Jun 2023
2024-01-07Watts says the 10-minute warm-up he heard on flights was most likely his ears adjusting to cabin pressure or the headphones, not the DACs, and that Mojo 2 exposes headphones with poor LF distortion. Head-Fi, Jan 2024
2025-09-14Watts says listening at 80 dB for more than two hours is enough to start causing problems. The Source AV 12:24
2025-09-14Watts says above 96 dB it is about one minute, so he always uses ear defenders at live bands; the host interjects agreement. The Source AV 12:31
2025-09-14Watts says at very loud levels the ears go nonlinear and saturate, sounding brighter and more aggressive; with ear defenders things sound richer and smoother, as if distortion were removed. The Source AV 12:47
2025-09-14Watts says his ear defenders changed nothing but level at normal music levels, yet greatly changed sound at a loud band, showing it is the hearing, not the limiter. The Source AV 13:14