Once, when I shared these thoughts at a church, they assured me that their musicians always wore earplugs while performing. "That's great," I responded, "but what about the congregation? Is it somehow acceptable to not be good stewards of their hearing? Is it okay to cause hearing loss in them while protecting yourselves?" Up to a certain point this issue is about personal preference. Some people like louder music than others. This is no different than my preference for chocolate-fudge ice cream over strawberry banana. It's personal taste.
However, at a certain level, when damage is being done to hearing, it then ceases to be about personal taste. It's all about stewardship.