Threshold of Pain

The nominal dynamic range of human hearing is from the standard threshold of hearing to the threshold of pain. A nominal figure for the threshold of pain is 130 decibels, but that which may be considered painful for one may be welcomed as entertainment by others. Generally, younger persons are more tolerant of loud sounds than older persons because their protective mechanisms are more effective. This tolerance does not make them immune to the damage that loud sounds can produce.

Some sources quote 120 dB as the pain threshold and define the audible sound frequency range as ending at about 20,000 Hz were the threshold of hearing and the threshold of pain meet.