[mfsoa]

Hi everyone,
I know, abstinence is the best answer, but I'm looking for some type of device that would place an absolute limit on the voltage going to my son's headphones. He plays his heroin video games at what to me are astonishing volumes. I assure him that the crack games are absolutely without doubt causing permanant and irreversable hearing damage, but of course 14 year olds have all the answers and I'm full of shit despite a 30 year interest in the workings of the ear-brain system.

So, is there a mini-in to mini-out device that will limit the volume?

Please reply in all capitals so that my son can read it too. 

Thanks
-Mike

[JerryM]

YOU CAN TRY THESE.

They won a CES award, too.

Good luck,
Jerry

[whubbard]

Or these:
http://www.loudenough.com/
review: http://reviews.cnet.com/headphones/ultimate-ears-loud-enough/4505-7877_7-33108968.html

Sound quality is meant to be great too, so you can tell him the only way for it to sound this good is for it to be softer... [which we know isn't totally true  ]

[mfsoa]

Thanks, Jerry

I also found an in-line a 17db attenuator that might be perfect.

The phones need to have a mic also, so I'm looking at a combined headset type of thing.

-Mike

[whubbard]

The only problem with an in-line attenuator is that he could just remove it if he wishes to listen louder. I mean, couldn't you just tell him to keep the volume lower? Would do the exact same as an inline attenuator.

-West

[Bob in St. Louis]

couldn't you just tell him to keep the volume lower?

You don't have children do you? 
{Sorry man, I couldn't resist.} 

Mike, is he playing on a PC or console??
I'm thinking you could (stealthily) cut his cable and install a little resistor when he's not home one day.
Maybe?

Bob

[ecramer]

http://www.softspecialist.com/VolumeLock-4010/VolumeLock.htm

what about something like this

[whubbard]

couldn't you just tell him to keep the volume lower?

You don't have children do you? 
{Sorry man, I couldn't resist.} 

Nope. none that I know of 

I just know that if he really cares about it being loud, he would just remove the attenuator. I mean, he is going to notice. Therefore if you can force him to keep the attenuator on, maybe you could just forcehim to keep the volume down.

Soldering in a resistor is a pretty good idea. He won't really be able to do much about it.

-West

[Wayner]

MIKE,

I THINK YOU NEED TO EXPLAIN TO YOUR SON IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS THAT LOUD MUSIC LISTENING AND ESPECIALLY THRU HEADPHONES WILL CAUSE PERMANENT, UNREPAIRABLE HEARING LOSS. IF HE LIKES MUSIC AND CAN'T DO SIGN LANGUAGE I HOPE THIS WOULD BE AN INCENTIVE.

YOUNG MAN, LISTEN TO YOUR DAD, WHILE YOU STILL CAN. WHEN YOU GET OLDER, YOU WILL APPRECIATE MUSIC MUCH MORE (HOPEFULLY) AND IF YOU SAVE YOUR EARS, YOU WILL HAVE MANY YEARS OF MUSIC LISTENING TO COME. IT'S ALSO FUN TO TALK TO YOUR FRIENDS AND NOT GO "WHAT" AT EVERYTHING THAT IS SAID.

WAYNER

[richidoo]

Get the girlfriend involved. Cruel, and probably very expensive, but highly effective.

An external device would just get "lost" wouldn't it? It would if it was my XBox.

You could solder L-pads into the internal headphone jack. 
http://www.diyaudioandvideo.com/Calculator/LPad/
Headphone impedance is probably 32 ohms, you can google that. Attenuate by -20dB with 1/4W film resistors. Then he will say it is broken. You can laugh your evil laugh.