Amp hurts my ears at lower volumes?

[supersonic182]

I’m someone that struggled converting to modeling as much as I liked the capability and the sound. Now that I have finally come around and fully embrace it and “get it” I find that my tube amp hurts and fatigues my ears at equal and lower levels in a bothersome way.

Is there any explanation or science to that? My ears are like oh boy, that sounds great, but is you keep going you’re going to damage your hearing… meanwhile I can tolerate my Axe 3 at these levels and technically louder.

Just to clear I’m using a dB meter - I am not just guessing at it. I take my hearing very seriously as lame as it makes things. I’d rather hear my playing and music than one day not!

Oh and also I am very simple with my eq and stuff… ironically when jamming I strive for raw amp sounds.

 

[Jkist7]

Amps tend to have a spiky sound signature where certain frequencies are emphasized. The cab you're running through can amplify this effect even more. As we age, certain frequencies can become more bothersome to us.

I think probably the amp's upper, spiky frequencies are hitting your ears just right. Or just wrong I guess is the more accurate thing to say.

What speaker is in the cab you're running the amp through? You might try something darker and see if that helps.

 

[supersonic182]

Amps tend to have a spiky sound signature where certain frequencies are emphasized. The cab you're running through can amplify this effect even more. As we age, certain frequencies can become more bothersome to us.

I think probably the amp's upper, spiky frequencies are hitting your ears just right. Or just wrong I guess is the more accurate thing to say.

What speaker is in the cab you're running the amp through? You might try something darker and see if that helps.

I’m running a Stiletto Ace combo, the stock v30 in the cab and second cab open back with a C90 type of WSG.

I know it’s a bright amp, but a new buddy of mine put a brightness toggle in there and I have it off. I feel like my days with amps are numbered. If I sell it I hope it’s the last time I buy one that I end up selling. I love the amp itself.

 

[JoKeR III]

When it seems too loud at reasonable levels, it's typically an EQ issue not a volume issue. Usually in the 4-6k range causes it. Had a similar issue with a Budda Superdrive 18. Could never dial in a tone that didn't hurt my ears at volumes that I normally used with other amps.

 

[Greg Ferguson]

it might be tied to the Fletcher-Munson effect. Our brains interpret the frequencies we hear differently depending on the loudness.

The “whys” seem to be tied to the early days of human existence, but they definitely affect our perception of sound, especially at different volumes, and we have to be aware, and careful, when we’re adjusting our gear at home with the idea of using that preset later in a live situation.

Setting up a basic Amp block’s controls in a Performance page can give you fast access to adjusting the sound from the front panel. Saving the adjusted preset during rehearsal or during sound check, with either at stage volume, will help fix the problem, but don’t readjust the sound for a quieter situation. Or, at least copy the preset somewhere else and modify one of the copies for the different, non-stage volume, sound.