The 60/60 rule is a simple hearing safety guideline: keep your headphone volume at or below 60% of the max, and don’t listen for more than 60 minutes straight. After that hour, take a real break—at least five to ten minutes of silence. It’s not a hard law, just a practical ceiling most audiologists agree on to dodge noise-induced hearing loss, especially with earbuds or closed-back cans that seal in the sound.

Why 60/60? Your ears need recovery time. Cranking tunes at 80–90% for hours slowly cooks the hair cells in your cochlea—those don’t grow back. The rule works for any headphone type, from budget Skullcandy to high-end Beyerdyanamic. If you’re in a loud environment and keep pushing past 60% just to hear, switch to isolation or ANC instead. Otherwise, set a timer and trust that 60/60 keeps your hearing in the game for decades.