Cheers McGrath,

You read my mind when you said: "There's a vicious circle here. Before anybody gets to control the volume they are going to have had to go through an "apprenticeship" which ensures that by the time they have the power to turn the volume down, they feel they need to turn it up." I agree entirely. All the evidence suggests that budding sound engineers have all been brainwashed and deafened by the time they take charge! Also, is there a chance that they get badgered by hard-of-hearing audience members to turn levels up, even when 90% of the audience may be hearing things perfectly?

My own father, who is 77, is hard-of-hearing but refuses to use a hearing aid. Instead, TV and radio are turned up to levels that are painful to others (inc. neighbours, I'm sure!). My mother knows that her own hearing has suffered from being exposed to this.

Julie B

P.S. So, let me get this right. "The Bovril's with the gravy, but the Marmite's with the Jam". Yes? :-)