For reference, I’m 19 and I’ve just ordered a pair of sennheiser momentum 4s. I want to know what I can do to protect my ears as much as possible. I put my iPhone volume capacity at 75dbs and only put my headphones at about 95% volume at that rate, but I heard it’s not entirely accurate and some songs can still go over the limit
I want to say I’m completely new to this and an absolute amateur but I would be very thankful and appreciative of any help
Just a heads up: iOS “volume limitation” implements compression, it will affect music quality.
If you use Spotify their volume normalization works wonders (does not affect quality on Normal/Quiet levels).
Protecting your hearing is a great idea, specially at young ages. Always wear earplugs in places you expect exposure to noise (concerts, bars, clubs). All it takes is one long and loud exposure to do permanent damage. There are some cheap and discreet options.
I would also try to listen with low volumes, personally I listen ~44/48 dB and I have no issue noticing the details/enjoying the experience. It also allows me to listen to music as much as I want to at that exposure level.
Airpods do this automatically but frequency response changes with volume, you basically want to bump the lower frequencies so an EQ helps here.