One of the worst concert experiences I had was seeing a pop show and an acoustic-specific venue. The show was Flaming Lips opening for Beck. I went to see Beck, because I'd seen him previously outdoors and loved his charismatic performance (I enjoy his music). Didn't know the Flaming Lips and they're definitely not my style. The venue was Benaroya Hall, which is the Seattle Symphony's relatively new concert hall known for its outstanding acoustics for unamplified music. Well, these guys came with amplification up the wazoo. I seldom walk out on concerts or films, but this was one of those rare exceptions. The music was so loud it hurt. I went back in when Beck came out doing mostly solo acoustic guitar stuff, but he used the same amplification and I couldn't even make out the lyrics he was singing. I walked out again. Truly awful! I cannot imagine enjoyment with or without earplugs. I think the hall sounded horrible with amplification - I see the symphony there and indeed it is otherwise a wonderful acoustic space. I totally gave up on big ticket concerts since then. A few other bad experiences, both indoor and out. I see no reason to drop any money at all, much less what they're asking to see shows like this, on a presentation that I'd otherwise get far more enjoyment from listening to the same artist's CD on my system. I agree that risking your hearing on 100+db sustained anything is just plain stupid. I don't know how renewable your hearing is once damaged this way...it may come back, but I wonder if it is really the same. Regardless, it's not worth it to me. I really enjoy my five senses and would prefer to keep doing so as long as I'm around. I currently suffer from mild tinnitus, which I speculate may be from too many years of riding motorcycles without ear plugs (I always wear earplugs when I ride now).
Moby concert and ear damage?
The other night I saw Moby performing at the Sydney Opera House and it was a stunning event with superb amplified sound filling the Concert Hall to the delight of 4000 enraptured fans.
The hall is really a vast volume (too big for any symphony orchestra to adequately fill) yet the volume produced by the amplifiers and speakers became so deafening that at times I had to crouch down behind the seats and block my ears......and I was sitting in row W of the Stalls?
I am sure that I must have suffered some permanent hearing loss over the 2 hour concert duration although thankfully there were some slow melodic songs to break the continual 100-110dB sound pressure levels.
The band members must surely wear ear-plugs to avoid early permanent deafness?
But this is not my question.
My stomach lining and chest cavity were vibrating and pulsing with the volume of sound but the bass drums and bass guitar were the lowest frequency-producing instruments on stage and I know that the lowest notes of the electric bass guitar is not lower than about 32Hz and most notes were way above that?
My home system with 2 Vandersteen 2Wq Subwoofers can produce 26 Hz in my listening room but my innards do not vibrate when I play low organ music?
So it must be 'volume' combined with frequency that vibrates the guts?
Is there a mathematical formula for determining what volume at 40 Hz is needed to vibrate materials compared to that at 20 Hz?
The hall is really a vast volume (too big for any symphony orchestra to adequately fill) yet the volume produced by the amplifiers and speakers became so deafening that at times I had to crouch down behind the seats and block my ears......and I was sitting in row W of the Stalls?
I am sure that I must have suffered some permanent hearing loss over the 2 hour concert duration although thankfully there were some slow melodic songs to break the continual 100-110dB sound pressure levels.
The band members must surely wear ear-plugs to avoid early permanent deafness?
But this is not my question.
My stomach lining and chest cavity were vibrating and pulsing with the volume of sound but the bass drums and bass guitar were the lowest frequency-producing instruments on stage and I know that the lowest notes of the electric bass guitar is not lower than about 32Hz and most notes were way above that?
My home system with 2 Vandersteen 2Wq Subwoofers can produce 26 Hz in my listening room but my innards do not vibrate when I play low organ music?
So it must be 'volume' combined with frequency that vibrates the guts?
Is there a mathematical formula for determining what volume at 40 Hz is needed to vibrate materials compared to that at 20 Hz?