First with a free downloaded decibel meter on a phone and a real decibel meter to compare, we can see what issues movie goer Theresa Rogers experiences.
"The ads started to roll, and they were loud. When the movie started, it was still loud. So we just left and got her money back,” said Theresa Rogers, whose didn’t enjoy the sound at the theater.
Ironically, Rogers works in a library, but she says she suffers from hearing loss.
And the movie she saw was still uncomfortably loud.
"When we got home, we turned our television volume up all the way just to see how that would compare and the movie theater was still much louder," explained Theresa.
Testing how loud shows sometimes the peak gets up to 95 decibels.
"So, if we're at 100 DB, you can be in 100 DB for 15 minutes. You can be in 110 or 109 for less than 2 minutes," explained audiologist Ross Tonini.
He says the volume level in the theater can peak to dangerous levels, but to do permanent damage, you would have to endure that for many hours
"The sound levels are up and down, up and down. Again, they can be dangerous; again it's a function of how long are you exposed to it," said Dr. Tonini.
But he says, as hearing degenerates, noise volume in bars, restaurants, and movies start to amplify and cause discomfort faster than it does in someone who has perfect hearing.
Does he think the app does anything to help?
"I think just, 'Is this a safe place or a dangerous place?' I think it's perfectly adequate to give you that information," said Dr. Tonini.
If the sound you experience is uncomfortable, experts say over-the-counter hearing protection can help slightly to reduce noise volume.
That way you can take your eyes off the meter on your app and just enjoy the movie.
