Protect your ears without turning it down

Sound is our raw material. A kick that goes through the body is physical, and it is exactly what a warehouse night is for. But hearing does not grow back. Respecting the sound starts with respecting your ears, and it plays out on three levels: the law, the science, and your own reflexes.

What the law says

In France, the decree of 7 August 2017 regulates every venue playing amplified sound, indoors and open air alike. The average level is capped at 102 A-weighted decibels over fifteen minutes, and low frequencies at 118 C-weighted decibels over the same window. It is the organiser's obligation, not an option, and Agi-Son, the French live music sector's reference on sound management, details how it applies across the industry.

What the WHO says

The World Health Organization estimates that more than one billion people aged 12 to 35 risk hearing loss from prolonged exposure to loud recreational sound. The figure that matters: sound-induced hearing loss is irreversible, and almost always avoidable.

Your own reflexes

• Filtered earplugs, not cotton. Plugs designed for music lower the level while keeping the spectrum readable: the kick stays a kick, the highs stay sharp. Cotton smothers everything and gets pulled out after an hour.
• A few metres of distance. Right in front of the system, the level is at its peak. Three metres back, the pressure already drops clearly and the sound often gains definition.
• Breaks. The ear tires like a muscle. Ten quiet minutes per hour, and you hear better for the rest of the night.
• Silence the next day. After a night out, give your ears a day without headphones. A ringing that lasts beyond twenty-four hours needs a doctor, quickly: tinnitus is not something to ignore.

With us

The safer team is there for this too: a doubt, dizziness, the need for somewhere calmer, go see them. And if it is your first night, the guide to lasting the night covers the rest: water, breaks, the way home. Loud sound is earned, never endured.