What EU rule sets the hearing-safety requirement for personal music players?

Commission Decision 2009/490/EC of 23 June 2009, adopted under the General Product Safety Directive. Article 3 requires that personal music players do not cause hearing damage under reasonably foreseeable conditions of use, that exposure is time-limited (at 80 dB(A) to 40 hours a week, at 89 dB(A) to 5 hours a week, with linear interpolation for other levels), and that users get adequate warnings. The EN 50332 series and the sound clauses of EN 62368-1 are the standards written in response.

Does EN 50332 itself set the sound limits?

Mostly not. EN 50332-1 and EN 50332-2 are measurement methods: their scopes describe a methodology for measuring the maximum sound pressure level of headphones and earphones with personal music players. The limits that equipment must meet sit in clause 10.6 of EN 62368-1, which classifies acoustic energy sources as RS1, RS2 or RS3 and refers to EN 50332 for how to measure them.

What are the RS1 and RS2 limits?

In EN 62368-1:2014 as quoted by the 2018 draft amendment that added the dose method, RS1 is at most 85 dB(A) LAeq for a player sold with its headphones, or at most 27 mV at the analogue output for a player sold without them, when playing the programme simulation noise of EN 50332-1. RS2 is at most 100 dB(A) or 150 mV. Above RS1, the user must actively acknowledge a warning, which need not be repeated more than once every 20 hours of cumulative listening, and the device must return to an RS1 level when switched off. Check the edition of EN 62368-1 you are testing against.

What is the difference between EN 50332-1 and EN 50332-2?

EN 50332-1:2013 covers one-package equipment: a player supplied with its headphones or earphones, measured together on a head and torso simulator. EN 50332-2:2013 covers matching values for players and headphones offered separately, or offered together but with standardised connectors that let components of different makes be combined. The player is characterised by its output voltage, the headphone by the sound pressure it produces for a given voltage.

What does EN 50332-3 add?

EN 50332-3:2017, approved by CENELEC on 2 January 2017, specifies sound dose measurement and the associated alerts. It adds two quantities: the calculated sound dose (CSD), a one-week rolling estimate of exposure expressed as a percentage of the maximum regarded as safe, and the momentary exposure level (MEL), a 1-second exposure estimate. When either exceeds its threshold, the user is warned or the player gain is lowered.

How much listening does 100 % of the weekly sound dose allow?

The WHO-ITU safe listening standard (ITU-T H.870) sets the adult reference at 1.6 Pa²h per seven days, derived from 80 dB(A) for 40 hours a week. Every 3 dB more halves the time: about 20 hours at 83 dB(A), 5 hours at 89 dB(A), 75 minutes at 95 dB(A) and 9.5 minutes at 104 dB(A). For children and other sensitive users it proposes 0.51 Pa²h, derived from 75 dB for 40 hours a week.

What warning text does EN 62368-1 expect on a personal music player?

Where the instructional safeguard is used between an RS2 source and an ordinary person, it combines the IEC 60417-6044 symbol with the wording "High sound pressure", "Hearing damage risk" and "Do not listen at high volume levels for long periods", or equivalent wording, on the equipment, the packaging or in the instruction manual.

Does Directive 2003/10/EC apply to headphones sold to consumers?

No. Directive 2003/10/EC protects workers from noise, with a lower exposure action value of 80 dB(A) over 8 hours, an upper action value of 85 dB(A) and an exposure limit value of 87 dB(A). It does not apply to consumer listening, but it uses the same A-weighted energy logic, and the 80 dB(A) figure recurs in Decision 2009/490/EC and in the WHO-ITU reference dose.

EN 50332 and 62368-1: headphone sound limits explained

Hugues Orgitello updated 6 Oct 2026 9 min read

The sound limits of headphones and personal music players sold in Europe trace back to one sentence in a 2009 Commission Decision: at 80 dB(A), listening time is limited to 40 hours a week, and at 89 dB(A), to 5 hours. The EN 50332 series turned that into measurement methods, and clause 10.6 of EN 62368-1 turned it into limits: 85 dB(A) by default, up to 100 dB(A) after the user acknowledges a warning, or, for devices that track the listener's dose, a weekly budget measured in percent. This guide follows that chain from the legal requirement to the test bench, with the numbers each document actually contains.

In short:

The requirement: Commission Decision 2009/490/EC, 80 dB(A) for 40 hours a week or 89 dB(A) for 5 hours, linear in between, plus adequate warnings.
The methods: EN 50332-1:2013 (player sold with its headphones), EN 50332-2:2013 (separate or with standardised connectors), EN 50332-3:2017 (sound dose).
The limits: EN 62368-1 clause 10.6, RS1 at 85 dB(A) or 27 mV, RS2 at 100 dB(A) or 150 mV, with a warning acknowledged at most once every 20 hours of listening above RS1.
The dose: 100 % of the weekly allowance is 1.6 Pa²h, the energy of 80 dB(A) for 40 hours. At 95 dB(A), that budget lasts 75 minutes.

From a 2009 Decision to the test bench

Step	Document	What it does
Health assessment	SCENIHR opinion of 13 October 2008	Found that listeners risk permanent hearing loss using a player more than 40 hours a week above 89 dB(A) for at least five years
Legal requirement	Commission Decision 2009/490/EC of 23 June 2009	Sets the safety requirement under the General Product Safety Directive and asks the standardisation bodies for standards
Measurement methods	EN 50332-1:2013, EN 50332-2:2013, EN 50332-3:2017	Describe how to measure maximum sound pressure, player output voltage and sound dose
Limits	EN 62368-1, clause 10.6	Classifies acoustic energy sources as RS1, RS2 and RS3 and sets the safeguards between them
Market route	Low Voltage Directive, Radio Equipment Directive, General Product Safety Regulation	EN 62368-1 gives presumption of conformity for electrical safety; the GPSR covers consumer products generally

The Decision itself is short. Its recital 6 cites the SCENIHR finding, and its Article 3 sets the requirement: players must be inherently safe and not cause hearing damage under reasonably foreseeable conditions of use; exposure must be time-limited, at 80 dB(A) to 40 hours a week and at 89 dB(A) to 5 hours, with linear intra- and extrapolation for other levels; and players must give adequate warnings. Nine decibels for a factor of eight in time is the familiar 3 dB exchange rate: every 3 dB more halves the allowed time.

The three parts of EN 50332

Part	Scope, from the standard	What is measured
EN 50332-1:2013	One-package equipment: a player supplied with its headphones or earphones	Maximum sound pressure of the combination on a head and torso simulator, playing the programme simulation noise
EN 50332-2:2013	Players and headphones offered separately, or offered together with standardised connectors allowing components of different makes to be combined	Matching values: the player's output voltage and the headphone's sound pressure for a given voltage
EN 50332-3:2017	Sound dose measurement and the associated alerts for personal music players	The calculated sound dose (CSD) and momentary exposure level (MEL) the device computes, checked against acoustic measurement

Two details are easy to miss. First, EN 50332-2 is not only for players sold without headphones: a bundled product whose headphones plug into a standard jack falls under it too, because the user can swap them. Second, EN 50332-3 builds on the other two parts rather than replacing them; it reuses their test signal and their calibration, and its foreword records that it was prepared under a mandate from the Commission and EFTA. National standards conflicting with it had to be withdrawn by 2 January 2020.

The test signal and the bench

All three parts use the same signal: the programme simulation noise of HD 483.1 S2, a noise shaped to resemble the long-term spectrum of programme material, referred to in EN 50332-3 as "HD 483". Acoustic measurements use the head and torso simulator (HATS) method of EN 50332-1. For players sold without headphones, EN 50332-3 ties the electrical and acoustic scales together at a reference point of 80 dB SPL for 15 mV, from EN 50332-2.

The limits: RS1, RS2 and RS3 in EN 62368-1

EN 62368-1 classifies the sound output of a personal music player as an acoustic energy source in three classes. The values below are those of EN 62368-1:2014, as quoted by the 2018 draft amendment that introduced the dose method.

Class	Player sold with its headphones (acoustic)	Player sold without headphones (analogue output)	What it means
RS1	LAeq ≤ 85 dB(A)	≤ 27 mV	Default state, reachable without any action
RS2	LAeq ≤ 100 dB(A)	≤ 150 mV	Allowed after a warning the user acknowledges
RS3	Above RS2	Above RS2	Not to be accessible to an ordinary person

The safeguards between RS1 and RS2 are specific and testable:

the device must actively inform the user before allowing output above RS1, and the user must acknowledge it;
the acknowledgement need not be repeated more than once every 20 hours of cumulative listening, however often the player is switched off;
the device must return to an RS1 level when it is switched off;
where an instructional safeguard is used, it combines the symbol IEC 60417-6044 with the wording "High sound pressure", "Hearing damage risk" and "Do not listen at high volume levels for long periods", or equivalent, on the equipment, the packaging or in the manual.

The same draft gives digital-interface equivalents, -25 dBFS for RS1 and -10 dBFS for RS2, and explains why the levels are tied to the programme simulation noise rather than to whatever music is playing: a player set to 85 dB on the test noise may be playing a song averaging 65 dB, and no warning is needed for that.

Sound dose: what EN 50332-3 adds

A fixed level cap says nothing about time. EN 50332-3 adds two quantities that the device computes itself:

CSD, calculated sound dose: a one-week rolling estimate of sound exposure, expressed as a percentage of the maximum regarded as safe;
MEL, momentary exposure level: an estimate of the 1-second exposure level, A-weighted, based on the EN 50332-1 measurement.

When either crosses its threshold, the user is warned, or the player's gain is lowered. The standard's introduction explains the aim: measure the actual electrical signal sent to the headphones, instead of assuming an average programme level, so that warnings are relevant to what the listener actually heard.

The 2018 draft amendment to EN 62368-1 set out how dose-based devices should behave: at 100 % CSD, and at least at every further 100 %, the device warns the user and requires an acknowledgement; if the user does not acknowledge, output drops to RS1; and an exposure-based limiter caps the short-term level at 100 dB(A), or 150 mV, integrated over the past 180 seconds. Check the edition of EN 62368-1 that applies to your product for the text in force.

What 100 % of the weekly dose means in practice

The WHO-ITU standard for safe listening devices, ITU-T H.870, sets the reference behind the 100 % figure. In its adult mode, 100 % is 1.6 Pa²h over seven days, the energy of 80 dB(A) for 40 hours. Its sensitive-user mode, for children for example, uses 0.51 Pa²h, the energy of 75 dB for 40 hours.

Average level	Time to reach 100 % in a week, adult mode
80 dB(A)	40 hours
83 dB(A)	20 hours
86 dB(A)	10 hours
89 dB(A)	5 hours
92 dB(A)	2.5 hours
95 dB(A)	75 minutes
98 dB(A)	37.5 minutes
101 dB(A)	about 19 minutes
104 dB(A)	9.5 minutes
107 dB(A)	4.5 minutes

The 101 dB(A) row is computed with the same 3 dB rule; the others are the values H.870 tabulates. The 89 dB(A) row matches Decision 2009/490/EC exactly. The table is also the most persuasive argument for a dose-based design: a user who listens at RS2's 100 dB(A) ceiling uses a week's budget in under half an hour.

Directive 2003/10/EC: the occupational reference

Directive 2003/10/EC protects workers, not consumers, but its values are the reference scale behind the consumer figures:

Value (Article 3)	Daily exposure LEX,8h	Peak pressure
Lower exposure action value	80 dB(A)	112 Pa
Upper exposure action value	85 dB(A)	140 Pa
Exposure limit value	87 dB(A)	200 Pa

The exposure limit value takes hearing protection into account; the action values do not.

Which regulations reach a headphone or a player

Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU: wired players and mains-powered audio equipment, with EN 62368-1 as the safety standard.
Radio Equipment Directive 2014/53/EU: wireless headphones and earbuds and their sources. Its health and safety objectives cover acoustic safety, and its Article 3.3 cybersecurity requirements, applicable since 1 August 2025, are set to be repealed with effect from 11 December 2027, when the Cyber Resilience Act applies in full; see our note on the repeal.
General Product Safety Regulation (EU) 2023/988: consumer products generally, applicable since 13 December 2024. Decision 2009/490/EC was adopted under its predecessor, the General Product Safety Directive.
Toy Safety Directive 2009/48/EC: headphones presented as toys, with the acoustic requirements of EN 71-1; see our EN 71 guide.
Medical Devices Regulation (EU) 2017/745: hearing aids, which fall outside EN 50332.

Special cases

Active noise cancellation and transparency modes

EN 50332 measures the sound that reaches the simulator ear, so what counts is the output with the product's processing active. A transparency or hear-through mode that adds gain is part of the product's output and belongs in the worst-case configuration tested.

Wireless earbuds

There is no wireless exemption. A true wireless earbud plays to the ear; its source is the phone, and the combination is fixed by the pairing, which is the situation EN 62368-1 describes as a combination "known by other means such as setting or automatic detection".

Hearing aids and personal sound amplifiers

Hearing aids are medical devices under Regulation (EU) 2017/745. A personal sound amplification product sold for general use rather than to compensate a hearing loss is a consumer product, and the acoustic safety framework above is the relevant one.

Frequent mistakes

Mistake	What the documents say
Treating EN 50332-1 as the source of the 100 dB(A) limit	EN 50332-1 is a measurement method; the limits are in EN 62368-1 clause 10.6
Testing a bundle with a standard 3.5 mm jack only to EN 50332-1	EN 50332-2 covers sets offered together with standardised connectors
Repeating the RS2 warning at every power-on as the only option	EN 62368-1 allows one acknowledgement per 20 hours of cumulative listening; returning to RS1 at switch-off is mandatory
Storing the dose in volatile memory	A dose that resets on reboot is not a one-week rolling estimate
Measuring with music instead of the programme simulation noise	All three parts use the HD 483 programme simulation noise
Assuming wireless earbuds are out of scope	The combination is known through pairing; the same limits apply

Compliance checklist

Classify the product: player sold with headphones, without them, or with a standardised connector, and wired or wireless.
Choose the method: EN 50332-1, EN 50332-2, or both, plus EN 50332-3 if the device computes a sound dose.
Set the levels: RS1 by default, RS2 only behind an acknowledged warning, never RS3 for an ordinary person.
Write the warning: IEC 60417-6044 symbol, the three statements or equivalent, in the user's language.
Make the dose robust: persistent storage, a seven-day rolling window, an alert at 100 % and at each further 100 %.
Test at an accredited laboratory on the HATS method with the programme simulation noise, and file the report with the EN 62368-1 safety file.

Frequently asked questions

What EU rule sets the hearing-safety requirement for personal music players?: Commission Decision 2009/490/EC of 23 June 2009, adopted under the General Product Safety Directive. Article 3 requires that personal music players do not cause hearing damage under reasonably foreseeable conditions of use, that exposure is time-limited (at 80 dB(A) to 40 hours a week, at 89 dB(A) to 5 hours a week, with linear interpolation for other levels), and that users get adequate warnings. The EN 50332 series and the sound clauses of EN 62368-1 are the standards written in response.
Does EN 50332 itself set the sound limits?: Mostly not. EN 50332-1 and EN 50332-2 are measurement methods: their scopes describe a methodology for measuring the maximum sound pressure level of headphones and earphones with personal music players. The limits that equipment must meet sit in clause 10.6 of EN 62368-1, which classifies acoustic energy sources as RS1, RS2 or RS3 and refers to EN 50332 for how to measure them.
What are the RS1 and RS2 limits?: In EN 62368-1:2014 as quoted by the 2018 draft amendment that added the dose method, RS1 is at most 85 dB(A) LAeq for a player sold with its headphones, or at most 27 mV at the analogue output for a player sold without them, when playing the programme simulation noise of EN 50332-1. RS2 is at most 100 dB(A) or 150 mV. Above RS1, the user must actively acknowledge a warning, which need not be repeated more than once every 20 hours of cumulative listening, and the device must return to an RS1 level when switched off. Check the edition of EN 62368-1 you are testing against.
What is the difference between EN 50332-1 and EN 50332-2?: EN 50332-1:2013 covers one-package equipment: a player supplied with its headphones or earphones, measured together on a head and torso simulator. EN 50332-2:2013 covers matching values for players and headphones offered separately, or offered together but with standardised connectors that let components of different makes be combined. The player is characterised by its output voltage, the headphone by the sound pressure it produces for a given voltage.
What does EN 50332-3 add?: EN 50332-3:2017, approved by CENELEC on 2 January 2017, specifies sound dose measurement and the associated alerts. It adds two quantities: the calculated sound dose (CSD), a one-week rolling estimate of exposure expressed as a percentage of the maximum regarded as safe, and the momentary exposure level (MEL), a 1-second exposure estimate. When either exceeds its threshold, the user is warned or the player gain is lowered.
How much listening does 100 % of the weekly sound dose allow?: The WHO-ITU safe listening standard (ITU-T H.870) sets the adult reference at 1.6 Pa²h per seven days, derived from 80 dB(A) for 40 hours a week. Every 3 dB more halves the time: about 20 hours at 83 dB(A), 5 hours at 89 dB(A), 75 minutes at 95 dB(A) and 9.5 minutes at 104 dB(A). For children and other sensitive users it proposes 0.51 Pa²h, derived from 75 dB for 40 hours a week.
What warning text does EN 62368-1 expect on a personal music player?: Where the instructional safeguard is used between an RS2 source and an ordinary person, it combines the IEC 60417-6044 symbol with the wording "High sound pressure", "Hearing damage risk" and "Do not listen at high volume levels for long periods", or equivalent wording, on the equipment, the packaging or in the instruction manual.
Does Directive 2003/10/EC apply to headphones sold to consumers?: No. Directive 2003/10/EC protects workers from noise, with a lower exposure action value of 80 dB(A) over 8 hours, an upper action value of 85 dB(A) and an exposure limit value of 87 dB(A). It does not apply to consumer listening, but it uses the same A-weighted energy logic, and the 80 dB(A) figure recurs in Decision 2009/490/EC and in the WHO-ITU reference dose.