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I was searching for safe headphones to limit the db level I'm exposed to all day, but every product I'm finding is designed and made for kids. I have not found a single adult headphone that doesn't pass the 85dB limit.

And the design on some of these kids headphone I can tell they would hurt my ears physically if they were the right size for my head.

I think ideally I would have to have a device that intercepts the signal and reduces it to safe levels. Is there such a device where I can plug it into my computer's audio jack, and then plug the head phones to that. A nice feature would be to have a lcd readout of the decibel levels.

ArtOfCode
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Mallow
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  • If you want a "hack" style of solution, you can get comfortable headphones with a built-in volume control and a reliable dB meter. Crank the output from the computer at MAX, and then tweak the built-in volume control until the meter reads in your ceiling. Then superglue the headset volume controls in that setting and forget about it. Not really a hardware recommendation, so I am posting as a comment. – Mindwin Remember Monica Dec 01 '16 at 14:42
  • Caveat, some applications (VLC for example) can go over 100% volume. – Mindwin Remember Monica Dec 01 '16 at 14:43

1 Answers1

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I have never heard of such a dB limiting device.

Hmm.. I guess another way you could get around this problem is by "calibrating" your headphones using a sound level meter and an online frequency generator. Figure out what volume on your computer is 85dB on your headphones, and never pass that volume limit on your computer. E.g. Volume set at 40 on my computer is = 85dB max. You would have to repeat this process for different headphones. You would also have to make sure that when testing, the volumes of programs and websites are set to 100, ensuring that your main system volume is like a "master" volume control.

I'd buy an actual sound level meter and not use an app on my phone. Some sound level meters run for about $18 on Amazon.

Alternatively, you could build such a device using arduino, rpi or a soundboard, if you have the experience...

Hope this helps :D

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