The Saddledome: It’s just too damn loud

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by topfiverecords

I’ve cut down to one or two games a year just because the game experience is so loud and obnoxious. I don’t understand why they have a guy constantly shouting at you at every break. During the intermissions it’s blasting commercials so loud you can’t talk to anyone. Even the interviews with Parker are extremely loud like they’re trying to ensure people in the washroom on the lower concourse can still listen.

No I don’t want to go somewhere and listen to “TO THE LOUDEST FANS IN SECTION 218!!!!!! LETS HEAR IT!!!!”

This is the biggest problem, IMO. I don't mind the music being louder but why the hell is microphone-during-commercial-breaks-dude screaming at the top of his lungs, with the sound at 11 every time?

We understand the rules of the game, it's not that complicated, stop screaming at us

[smiggy77]

I wish they cheated and micd the crowd and pumped that rather than pumping the music and announcers, it feel way more like a football stadium.

[rogermexico]

The Saddledome is an absolutely horrible building acoustically. My guess is that the sweet spot between "I sure wish the music was louder, this is kind of lame" and "Ack my tinnitus!" is pretty razor thin and they just err on the latter.

[Jordan!]

It was too loud at my last Flames game in 2006.. lol

Yes, I really need to hear Cotton Eyed Joe at 100db

[Royle9]

100%
At the game last night my wife said the same thing, it’s definitely a LOT louder than it has been, almost to the point where your ears ring.

[rogermexico]

Another factor (probably not a big one) is that music itself has been getting louder and louder over the years. Songs get more and more compressed every year in order to sound louder coming out of small speakers. Those ultra-compressed waves mean less dynamic range and they're literally more fatiguing on your ears over time. So if your hockey arena PA is pumping out more and more of those super-loud modern tunes (and cranking the gain on the relatively lower volume tunes from previous decades to match the level) over the course of a night, it might be contributing to that "ugh this is unpleasantly loud" experience.

[OGmudbone]

I was sitting in 205 and there was a speaker pointing right at me and it was so loud I couldn't even talk to the person sitting next to me. I actually watched the last half of the 3rd in the concourse.

When I woke up this morning my ears still rang.

[Inglewood Jack]

Custom molded musician earplugs, the best few hundred dollars you will ever spend. I don't go to any arena or concert event without them. they're discrete and won't make things sound muffled, in fact I find they make it easier to pick out the components of a performance instead of everything sounding like a writhing mass of pressure waves.

I waited too long and regret not being able to get back the hearing of my youth, but it might not be too late for some of you to stop the loss now.

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

Originally Posted by Royle9

100%
At the game last night my wife said the same thing, it’s definitely a LOT louder than it has been, almost to the point where your ears ring.

new to tinnitus huh?

[Hack&Lube]

I was in a dome suite during the last playoffs against the AVs and most of the occupants were in their 30s, not a bunch of seniors with sensitive hearing.

Some people resorted to wearing earplugs from work and I put in my noise cancelling airpods because it was so freaking loud.

[Steve Bozek]

Originally Posted by OGmudbone

I was sitting in 205 and there was a speaker pointing right at me and it was so loud I couldn't even talk to the person sitting next to me. I actually watched the last half of the 3rd in the concourse.

When I woke up this morning my ears still rang.

You were wise to move to the concourse.
If your ears are still ringing that long after exposure to loud noise it’s a sign you’ve probably sustained some minor damage to your hearing. Although the ringing usually goes away, the auditory nerve endings don’t regenerate, which is why people chronically exposed to excessively loud noise develop permanent hearing loss.

[Cycling76er]

I went to the Flames/Jets pre-season game here in Winnipeg and it was way too loud. I don't recall the Dome being so loud but maybe that's the trend these days.

[Envitro]

Originally Posted by OGmudbone

I was sitting in 205 and there was a speaker pointing right at me and it was so loud I couldn't even talk to the person sitting next to me. I actually watched the last half of the 3rd in the concourse.

When I woke up this morning my ears still rang.

Yeah, we're in 205 and exact same thoughts.

[getbak]

Maybe the arenas all cranked up the volume during the COVID seasons and forgot to lower them back to normal levels.

[rohara66]

If you're in line with the blue line speakers its intense... way too loud.

[The Familia]

So if this many people are complaining about the noise level, and they are not just cranky old people, than what are the Flames going to do to rectify this? Has anyone actually made any formal complaints? Curious if they will actually listen to the fans and turn down the volume if the fans actually care enough to complain.

[DoubleK]

Originally Posted by Inglewood Jack

Custom molded musician earplugs, the best few hundred dollars you will ever spend. I don't go to any arena or concert event without them. they're discrete and won't make things sound muffled, in fact I find they make it easier to pick out the components of a performance instead of everything sounding like a writhing mass of pressure waves.

I waited too long and regret not being able to get back the hearing of my youth, but it might not be too late for some of you to stop the loss now.

You can also get some from Costco hearing aid department for less than $100.

100000% agree it's the best money you will ever spend.

I don't go to a DJ show without them.

[calf]

It's way too loud at the Wranglers game. Had to leave 5 minutes into the game because my kid was in pain/couldn't handle how loud it was. We went to many Hitmen games before and had no issues

[Gaskal]

Originally Posted by smiggy77

I wish they cheated and micd the crowd and pumped that rather than pumping the music and announcers, it feel way more like a football stadium.

Thank you for this post, for I can show my friends IRL and say "See??? Someone else on the internet other than me thinks it's a good idea, I'm not crazy!"