"obsession" ? It's merely a trend in the entertainment industry.
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Dave, I salute your wife for using hearing protection. More people need to take a stand, as if to day "You don't have the right to hurt me."

Somebody spoke about decibels. Decibels are part of what makes a sound painfully loud, but there are other factors. The higher the pitch, the worse it is. The longer it goes on, the worse it is, and the closer the source is to one's head, the worse it is.

One of the worst noise sources in the home is an exhaust fan over the range, or so I have read.