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Some have compared it to a hair-raising out-of-tune symphony. Whether the sound of trains heading in-and-out of the subway makes you wince, or you've gotten used to it, something pretty much most New Yorkers can agree on is that it is loud.

"It's just screechy and I can't stand it," said one straphanger. "I cover my ears."

"It's really loud and it hurts your head a little bit sometimes," said another.

"It's quite deafening," said a third. "I think some stations are worse than others."

Given those responses, the findings of a new study from the University of Washington and Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health should be no surprise.

Subways register the highest average noise levels among all forms mass transit in the city.

Some of the loudest noise levels recorded by researchers exceeded more than 100 decibels and they say being exposed to even as little as two minutes a day could do some damage to those who ride frequently.

"During the day, for a typical day, you should not exceed between 70 and 75 decibels across that 24 hours," explains Dr. Robyn Gershon of the Mailman School of Public Health. "Once you do, it accumulates time after time, year after year, and after a while, you will have hearing loss."

While researchers clocked noise levels at more than 100 decibels on some subway lines, on average they are at 80.4 decibels. But other forms of transit were not far behind in what researchers dub the "Urban Soundscape."

PATH trains give off an average of 79.4 decibels (dBA), elevated forms of transportation, like the Roosevelt Island tram, let out an average of 77 dBA. The lowest levels measured were on Metro-North and the Long Island Railroad, with 75.1 dBA and 74.9 dBA respectively.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has already responded to the study's findings, saying the agency has long been working on noise reduction. This includes efforts to quiet track noise with welded rail fasteners and retro-fitting stations with noise absorbing barriers.

In addition to improvements in infrastructure, researchers say riders should think more seriously about taking hearing protection into their own hands.

"Even those little foam throwaways that you can get at the pharmacy can help reduce it three, four, five decibels," says Dr. Gershon. "If you use the kind of ear muffs that fit over your ears, they're kind of costly, but those can reduce as much as 20 or 30 decibels."

The solution might not only make for a quieter commute, but also might help to calm your nerves.