Hi Ed,

I interpreted what Harmonium Hero said as loud music - or especially badly managed sound systems - can be annoying at any age.

Your topic was, why does loud music get more annoying as we get older, i.e. "My ability to read small print has noticeably weakened over the last year or two. If this can be extrapolated to the other senses, then surely I'd prefer louder music as I got older and my sense of hearing fades?"

So if my reading glasses prescription has to get stronger and stronger because I progressively get less and less able to read the fine print, why is it the other way around with hearing? Why does listening to music played at loud volumes get more difficult?

I offered the possible explanation above about being less able to isolate the noises we are interested in hearing, so we are more likely to hear everything, rather than focusing on specific noises. (My biggest bugbear in cafes is the espresso coffee machine. It cuts through everything, and then the icing on the cake is the loud music played in some cafes.)

Someone else - Leeneia maybe - mentioned the fine hairs or cilia which can be damaged with age and reduce the ability to hear specific ranges of sound.

I think that I can confidently say that WE HEAR YOU, Buddy! LOL

I think we are pretty much in agreement about listening to loud music, and some of the posters are adding that it might not just be age-related for some people.

Helen