Radio Shack sells a simple sound level meter. The instructions are fairly clear. Be sure to measure several different areas of the room (sound level and acoustics change with decorations and bodies) Use the A-weighting and slow response settings.

Or you know it is too loud when the listener experiences: (a) difficulty in communication while in the sound (see side bar), (b) ringing in the ear (tinnitus) after exposure to the sound, and/or (c) the experience that sounds seem muffled after leaving the sound-exposure area.

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