An earpiece is provided that can include an Ambient Sound Microphone (ASM) to measure ambient sound, an Ear Canal Receiver (ECR) to deliver audio to an ear canal, an Ear Canal Microphone (ECM) to measure a sound pressure level within the ear canal, and a processor to produce the audio from at least in part the ambient sound, actively monitor a sound exposure level inside the ear canal, and adjust a level of the audio to within a safe and subjectively optimized listening level range based on the sound exposure level. An audio interface can deliver audio content from a media player. The processor can selectively mix the audio content with the ambient sound to produce the audio in accordance with a personalized hearing level (PHL) to permit environmental awareness of at least one distinct sound in the ambient sound. Other embodiments are disclosed.