delete.
tom .
tony, if you get a chance, could you maybe check the db’s on the drones comparing them to the chanters on some of your sets? how many less? i’d be interested to know. at your convenience.
thanks, tansy
Sure Tansy…
Which studio would you like for me to use?
well probably not the tiled bathroom 
just the regular room where you practice.
An audiologist once made an interesting point to me when I was having my hearing checked…I, too have some hearing loss from past musical endeavors, and am now doing a MMus in recorder performance here in Boston. I live in what those here in Beantown call a “garden-level” (read: basement) apartment, and believe me, when I practice recorders down in my crypt for hours at a time (especially the wider-bore renaissance recorders, or sopranino), I wear earplugs, or at least headphones. Ditto for the pipes and whistle, if I’m practicing for any length of time. Anyway, back to the audiologist…he told me that, statistically, flute players and violinists are the orchestral musicians who tend to suffer the most hearing loss, and that it’s not sheer decibel level but also pitch that really makes a difference. It’s quite common for violinists, flutists, etc. to not have any symptoms such as tinnitus or pain, but simply to suffer from a gradual erosion of their ability to hear higher pitches well (above 800 Hz or so). Some orchestral players have had to cut their careers short because of this “selective hearing loss”–among other problems, they can no longer play the higher registers of their instrument in tune…
So, I guess I’ll echo what everyone else has said, and say PROTECT YOUR HEARING, 'cause you can’t get it back. Just because you don’t feel pain or hear ringing doesn’t mean you’re not doing damage…
Dan
P.S. I really agree with what Patrick said about the acoustics of the room making a big difference…An area rug on a hardwood floor, or a few acoustic tiles on the walls of a basement, can make a huge difference as to how much sound gets absorbed, and make practicing a lot more comfortable.
Update:
Angus Bb chanter 80db in the first octave and 85db peaks.
Same testing parameters as the previous chanters.
I have a few reeds for this chanter and tested it with the most lively one. I do have one reed that is softer in tone than the others but it closes off on the high notes. The reeds are still warm from the delivery truck and will probably change in my humid environment.
Tansy, I owe you some drone tests…
soon my friend.