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Earbud Headphones May Cause Hearing Loss
benr writes "According to an AP report, the earbud headphones that are so popular for ipods and other portable devices may lead to hearing loss. From the article: "The big culprits aren't the devices themselves, but the tiny 'ear bud' style headphones that the music players use. 'Unfortunately, the earbuds are even more likely to cause hearing loss than the muff-type earphones that were used on Walkman and portable CD players'""
I had some old earbud headphones in which the left earbud was dead, and didn't have the time/money to buy new ones. I used them for months with my CD Player, and when I finally did get new headphones, I found my right-ear isn't as good as it use to be. I got new ones about 2 months ago, but my ear still isn't at "peak efficiency". Won't make that mistake twice.
google.slashdot
This is hardly news; for years, headphones have been known to cause hearing loss, and ear buds are merely the extreme expression of this kind of problem. Recently in September 2005 there was a flurry of articles about this issue, according to a quick google search.
There's evidence of a general decline in hearing sensitivity in movie theatres and airplanes. The intensity of airplane overhead speaker volume has recently become almost painful to my ears, and it seems to be consistent across different airlines. Movie theatres as well have cranked up the volume. I find myself covering my ears during the previews, which tend to have intense, compressed action with a lot of music and narrative to pump up the adrenaline. Generally when the main feature begins the sound volume settles down a bit but it can still be worrisomely loud.
I am worried that we in the U.S. are becoming a nation of half-deaf electronic addicts, cranking our headsets and PA systems ever louder to compensate, perhaps unknowingly, for our diminishing sensitivity to sound.
I only hope that ENT doctors and researchers continue to find ways to repair the ear's mechanisms and perhaps develop nerve repair techniques or we're gonna have a huge population of elderly deaf people 50 years from now (with commensurate increase in volume of PA systems etc.).
it's = "it is"; its = possessive. E.g., it's flapping its wings.
say what?!
Loud stuff hurts ears.
... and they are also very uncomfortable.
This issue basically boils down to common sense. If you listen to your music at excessively high volume, you will eventually suffer hearing loss. People also need to realize that their hearing adapts to different sound levels. European iPods ship with a volume limiter for this reason.
Familiar?
TFA describes the in-ear headphones as being less capable at blocking ambient noise than the "earmuff" style phones. That leads me to believe they're actually talking about the old school in-ear phones, the kind that just sort of hang in your ears. Newer ones, like the Sony Fontopia in-ear designs, actually fit all the way into your ear canal. These actually are pretty good at blocking out exterior noises -- in fact, they take some getting used to. If they're going to lead to hearing loss, it's probably because of the amazing bass response for such small phones. I don't work for Sony -- there are other, similar brands on the market, but the Sonys are the only ones I've used.
Breakfast served all day!
The big culprits aren't the devices themselves, but the tiny 'ear bud' style headphones that the music players use.
Is it the design of the headphones, or the design of the headphones combined with people listening to their music at higher levels than usual?
" In a study published last year in the journal Ear and Hearing, researchers at Harvard Medical School looked at a variety of headphones and found that, on average, the smaller they were, the higher their output levels at any given volume-control setting. And other studies have shown that because the tiny phones inserted into the ears are not as efficient at blocking outside sounds as the cushioned headsets, users tend to crank up the volume to compensate."
So the problem isn't a technological one, but a psychological one. I'm guessing the in-ear phones like the ones made by Etymotic wouldn't be subject to this phenomenon.
The theory of relativity doesn't work right in Arkansas.
Your head is nothing without a good pair of muffs on it. (In my opinion...)
I suggest you read Slashdot
*snicker*
I'll admit it - I didn't rtfa, but here's my thoughts on all of these "X will make you go deaf" stories:
Yes, if you keep making things louder and louder, eventually you're going to experience hearing loss. Additionally, in my personal experience, listening to something in only one ear (like a cell phone, or a single-side headset) it will be much louder if the other ear isn't blocked (y'know, by sticking a finger in it), or listening to the same stuff.
I disagree with the blanket statements like "earbud heaphones cause hearing loss", though. I've been using a pair of Etymotic ER6i headphones (yes, they're earbuds), but the work on the concept of isolation from other outside noises. Think of a foam earplug with a decent heaphone in the center. Using those, I find I'm actually enjoying the quiet, and tend to play my music at a much *lower* volume than I would with more open headphones.
I'll create an amusing sig when I have something meaningful to post.
No matter how loud you can crank your stereo, several months of a crying baby in your house will make you appreciate the little bit of the quiet time you get.
What was that?
You can listen to the Beatles loudly. You can listen to Queen loudly. You can listen to anything loudly, and people do. It's not just the top 40 crap that's on those MP3 players, you know.
I really don't see the point you're trying to make with that statement.
Goo goo g'joob.
Researchers also reported that eating too much sugar makes you fat, smoking can make you cough, and using Microsoft products can lead to security concerns.
Seriously, do we need to be told that loud noise can lead to hearing loss? Are we so dumb that they need to dredge up a story that first ran with the invention of the Walkman?
It's good to use your head, but not as a battering ram.
your 2 main choices are etymotic or shure. I did a stack of research about a year ago, and in some ways it came down to what you like in your sound - each had certain advantages. With the Shures - don't go with models below the e3 however
-- 73 de KG2V For the Children - RKBA! "You are what you do when it counts" - the Masso
I am only 38 and have a bad case of Tinnitus. For those lucky bastards who don't---look it up and take very seriously the amount of noise you get. I work downtown in a LARGE city and I always put in earplugs when I am walking to lunch for an hour or so. I started doing that after taking a decibel meter outside with me one day. Amazing how loud life is now.
The report's claims must be using incredibly cheap phones. Any decent pair of canalphones (see: Shure, Etymotic, Ultimate Ears) will isolate much better than any other pair of headphones out there, allowing the use of lower volumes and an overall reduction of hearing damage/loss. Even the lousy iPod headphones provide better isolation than most cheap headphones in their pricerange nowadays. Will they isolate as well as a Sennheiser HD-280 or a pair of canalphones? No. But they hardly isolate "much worse" than other phones.
My ENT says (jokingly) "earbuds are great - they are going to pay for me to retire". This, just before I was tested (left ear normal, right ear SLIGHT rolloff, but normal for my age- yeah, I'm in my mid 40s) - there was a young kid in front of me - he had just gotten the bad news - he was going to need hearing aids - in his late teens - attributed to way too much LOUD noise.
The ENT was saying - if someone standing next to you in a quiet room can hear the music - it TOO loud
I have good in ear phones - and wear phones because of some other hobbies - but at reasonible volumes - I know the exact day I got that roll of in the right ear - I was dumb - Now, I always have a pair of foam earplugs with me - always - and I'm NOT afraid to put them in (carry an old altoids tin with "handy stuff" in it - bandaides, some meds, a spare $20, some coins, the earplugs, a lighter, etc)
-- 73 de KG2V For the Children - RKBA! "You are what you do when it counts" - the Masso
I totally agree - I've been looking at the Shure range recently and the E2Cs have a different design - check out the picture of them: http://www.shurecanada.com/images/e2c_large.jpg
There's this weird bulb thing where the cable connects, and then a stalk that turns sideways and then the actual main bulb thing that goes inside your ear. I tried to get them to sit properly and the back bulbs got in the way. I tried twisting them around and just messing back and forth with them, and never really getting them to sit properly.
The E3Cs though, felt a little weird for a second and then sat fine. http://www.shurecanada.com/images/e3c_large.jpg
How can the Associated Press and its editors find a new news story out of something that has been publicized since the 1940s?
m
To what extent and in what form should the news media re-teach readers basic life lessons (eat a balanced diet, exercise, drink in moderation, don't listen to loud music, etc.)?
How should the press segregate news so that the average reader does not get lowest common denomiator news (e.g., things aimed at those that don't know better or are 5 years old or younger)?
Begin Quote from: "The History of Audiology" http://www.asha.org/public/hearing/aud_history.ht
The History of Audiology
The profession of audiology had its origins in the 1920s when audiometers were first designed for measuring hearing. Interest in this profession surged in the 1940s when soldiers returned from World War II with noise induced hearing loss due to near-by gunfire or to prolonged and unprotected exposure to machinery noise. Others had psychogenic (non-organic) hearing loss as a result of severe emotional and mental stress. The Veterans Administration took a lead role in providing hearing testing and rehabilitation through hearing aids, auditory training, and speechreading (lipreading) programs.
Since the 1940s and 1950s, the study of hearing, hearing loss, and audiologic rehabilitation has escalated and expanded. New tests of hearing have been developed including evaluations of functions of the outer ear, middle ear, cochlea, acoustic nerve, and related brain areas. Techniques using physiologic measurements that were in the research stages 20-30 years ago are now routine.
Modern technology and computerization have dramatically influenced hearing aids. Hearing aids have changed from "boxes" in shirt pockets and "cords" to the ear to highly sophisticated "completely-in-the-ear canal" aids. Virtually any kind of hearing loss can be improved by a hearing aid. Cochlear implants are increasingly common and successful. Through cochlear implantation, a destroyed or damaged cochlea can be by-passed and the acoustic nerve can be stimulated directly.
Today, audiologists and the practice of audiology have widespread visibility. Audiology has a presence in public schools, health care centers, private practices, nursing homes, community agencies, the military, hospitals. colleges and universities, hearing aid dispensing centers, hearing and speech centers. They test hearing and listening ability; they fit hearing aids and assistive listening devices; they provide training and rehabilitation programs for individuals with hearing and listening disorders; they participate on health care and educational teams tp plan and provide the most appropriate services.
From the article: "The rule of thumb suggested by researchers at Boston Children's Hospital is to hold the volume of a music player no higher than 60 percent of the maximum"
So these "researchers" think that the following aspects of consumer electronics are all standardized or constant enough to stake children's hearing on some magical "60 percent" setting?
* power and efficiency of each device's headphone amplifier
* gain of each model's volume control
* efficiency of each model of headphone/earbud
Spreading advice like that is reckless and potentially false security.
Why would any different style of speaker be any more or less likely to cause hearing damage vs another? Surely the only thing that really matters is the volume at which the sound hits your eardrum.
Earbuds may be closer to the eardrum, but the sound that comes out of them is far less loud than that of a speaker (for comparison, plug your earbuds in and listen to them from the same distance that you'd listen to speakers from. clearly they're FAR more quiet). Therefore they make up for the closer distance to your eardrum by being less noisy. As a result, you should be just as likely to get hearing damage from speakers as from earbuds, assuming you listen to both at the same perceived volume.
All that the article seems to indicate is "In a study published last year in the journal Ear and Hearing, researchers at Harvard Medical School looked at a variety of headphones and found that, on average, the smaller they were, the higher their output levels at any given volume-control setting.". So basically smaller earphones are more sensitive. Duh? Basically all they're saying is that you dont have to turn the volume knob up as high for small buds vs big headphones.
At any given volume, earbuds aren't any more likely to cause hearing damage than headphones or speakers.. it's just that it seems people are too dumb to realise that they have to turn the volume knob down when they change to different brands/styles of headphones.
The research doesn't show that earbuds cause hearing damage, it shows that excessive listening to music at excessive volumes causes hearing damage. It just so happens that portable music players gives the option for many people to listen to music for large amounts of time, and that most portable music players come with earbud style headphones. This is not causation.
In the end, the best way to prevent hearing damage is probably "in-ear phones" or "canalphones". See etymotic, shure, sony, sharp. They are just earphones that go deep inside the earcanal and use a material (usually silicone or foam) to make a seal with the earcanal to prevent any external noise from "leaking" in. Thus, you dont have to turn up the volume to allow you to hear your music over cars, computer fans, tvs, etc... Thus, your music is at a lower volume and your hearing is happier
For proof, btw, I personally got hearing damage when i moved away from canalphones and instead bought some full-sized headphones. They were both very bright in sound (lots of shharp trebble) and open (lots of sound leaking in, meaning i turned it up more). That combo did more damage than earphones ever have
I really don't see the point you're trying to make with that statement.
He's trying to prove that music elitists can find some way to insert a jab at popular music in any conversation, regardless of the relevance.
As someone who works in the live audio industry, it pains me to see the people who stand directly in front of the speakers with no protection. Hearing loss is permanent and unpleasant. It's not something that just comes back.
Flying the other day, the guy sitting two seats across from me had his iPod turned up so loud that I could hear the drum rolls clearly, despite having 27dB drop earplugs in. For comparison's sake, when I listened (without the earplugs) to music for a little while when I worked on some code, I used a pair of Sony cheapie headphones. Held six inches from me, I couldn't hear the music above the noise of the airplane (again, without the earplugs).
The use of loud audio sources, both with portable audio devices and cell phones (I can often hear the sending side of a cell phone conversation from 15 feet away) is going to cause significant damage to the hearing of the "with it" generation.
For those curious why people are so intent on damaging their hearing, I'll give two facts:
1. People associate louder sound as being more impressive.
2. (partially related to 1) People perceive louder sound differently than softer sound. Our hearing system changes its frequency response based on how loud the source is, refered to as the Fletcher-Munson Curve(s).
The bottom line? Be aware of how loud you're listening to audio sources and protect yourself. Tinnitus is horrible (ringing in the ears), but it's also common to suffer damage in the 3-6 KHz range, where much of the understandability of speech is, leading to the situation of being able to hear but not make out what someone is saying. Turn down your cell phone and personal audio device, as well as your car stereo. If you're curious just how loud the audio in you life is, an SPL meter can easily be aquired at your local Rat Shack or online source. You might be surprised.
"European iPods ship with a volume limiter"
Another proof that USA is the land of unlimited options.
Obviously, we need more muff-type devices! I mean really, what problem couldn't be solved by making things more muff-like?
We need to be more careful when using audio devices, no matter what they are. A guy down the hall in my dorm turns his music up so loud, I can't even think, unless I close my door. He'll be deaf some day. I myself have a hearing impairment (from hereditary conditions), and I'm doing my best to avoid further damage. A good strategy that my audiologist recommended is to turn the device on at the lowest volume, and while it's playing, slowly turn it up until you can just understand it and stop there. Turning it up any further than that is pointless, and if you get used to higher volumes, and continue to turn it up more, you risk damage to your ears through long-term exposure. This is subjective to everyone, but a good rule is "if you can feel it in your chest, it might be too loud". Using the sound check feature on iTunes and iPod lets you set it and leave it, since it will be at a consistent level from then on. Earbuds are dangerous, because it's direct, unfiltered sound straight into the canal.... But those iPod earbuds aren't all that great anyway, so it's a good thing to replace them.
I'm always dissapointed when someone comes up with a great answer and then they're scoffed at for not using all the catch words. With a preamp mechanism (or compression), so simple now, advertisers can make things extra loud. In the past big content producers weren't so close to electronics manufacturers, but now the only new formats are being controlled by content producers. Both Toshiba and (especially) Sony are big in the electronics business and with Sony pushing DRM content, and Toshiba caving to the pressure there is a bad trend. Soon enough recording indutries will control the electronics makers as well as the artists. This will form a central control that dictates what a good user will do, instead of creating an experience that matches what users want.
Unfortunatly this trend will likely see the end of nice features like soft mute for when a radio commercial runs at kill_your_hearing_in_a_heartbeat_+10dB above the normal sound. Of course with video there are already unskippable previews for dvd's, which will only get worse with the extra proprietary HD-DVD and Blu-Ray.
Here's a question, and I'd like some insight. Can the recording industries really be so dumb as to think that users, professional hackers, and independent groups will just sit idly watching their art dissolve? What would be the motivation (if any) of intentionally creating a media black market? The old saying "if it seems too good to be true, it probably is", really isn't that far from "if it seems stupid, you're probably missing something."
"And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the World"
1 John 4:14
Remember the saying "don't put anything smaller than your elbow in your ear"? The reason for that is to not damage the eardrum with a q-tip or pen etc. The ears clean themselves when not obstructed, however the regular use of earbuds compacts the wax in your ears against the eardrum and will eventually cause eardrum scrathes or tears as the wax becomes drier and more dense. Then you compound the problem with regular use of earbuds. The purpose of ear wax is to protect the ears, but it must constantly be brushed out naturally by the tiny hairs in your ear and new soft wax will be formed to replace the old. Putting a couple drops of baby oil in each ear each day will at least keep the wax soft enough to maybe give the ears a chance to clean themselves when you finally take the buds out.
Yeah, I understand what you mean by loud theaters, concerts, churches (geez loud), etc. Since I was born partially deaf and have to wear a bone conduction hearing aid, I have an advantage in these loud situations. I will just turn off or down my hearing aid. Funny, how even that is sometimes still loud. The problem with my hearing is when people talk even on microphone. That is never loud enough. :(
Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
First off, the method being referred to of increasing loudness is called ultra-maximizing. There are many tools that do this now, including the pioneering software tool Waves L1.
The second thing you refer to is the loudness of trailers. Please do not mistake that with the level of the THX trailer. The THX trailer is a very precisely-engineered bit of audio that allows easy verification of the audio calibration of a surround listening environment. While people used to complain about the amplitude of the THX logo sound, the fact that the theatre vibrates at the end of the sound (at the "The Audience is Listening" portion) means that the theatre's sound system is in alignment.
The third topic you mention is trailer loudness, specifically in relation to the Trailer Loudness Standard. The Trailer Loudness Standard was created by the Trailer Audio Standards Association, which took on the task of standardizing the way trailers are mixed.
Jory
Amen to that. I'm from the Ted Nugent generation, and after many LOUD rock concerts (Thanks Hawkwind, for that Sonic Attack that really was), and two solid years of Joy Division and Big Black and other punk and new wave cranked in a factory environment during the infancy of the Walkman era, my ears ring constantly, and I DO have permanent hearing loss.
The ringing is so loud that I can't hear quiet sounds and certain frequencies. It can be extremely annoying too, just ask William Shatner.
Some of the jokes about this are pretty funny, but take a moment and take this stuff seriously, there is no cure for permanent hearing loss or tinnitus, and there may not be in your lifetime. Use high volume in moderation, wear ear plugs to concerts, and always use hearing protection around potentially damaging high volume noises in industry and sport.
Good headphones should be perfectly balanced. The most likely culprit is your volume control. Many volume controls don't track well, espically at lower volume levels, so you can get imbalances. Another possibility is that one channel of the amp is oscialting, or otherwise having problems. Either way, switch your source, I bet you find the headphones are equal volume.
You should know that's pretty much a worthless test. That's going to work for shit with consumer audio gear. It is way too far off a flat frequency response to be useful. That's made worse if it's done with speakers, where teh room will interfere.
If I were to do a test like that with my rather nice high-end consumer/low-end pro gear, I would conclude that my hearing was rather above the norm in the 1-2khz range, dipped around 100Hz, but went back up at 60Hz. If I were to repeat that with my rear speakers, Id' get different results.
However the real answer is, of course, my speakers are not flat and my room acoustics suck. The 1-2khz rise is mostly a property of the speakers, but is also partly room based, the 100Hz dip is almost entirely room based, and doesn't happen in other locations in the room. Indeed in a few locations the bass is almost crushing.
In case you are wondering, no I'm not basing this off my ears, I'm basing it off my calibration microphone.
Consumer gear is made to sound good, not be flat. Even exceedingly high end headphones don't have a flat response, it doesn't sound good. Using it to test hearing is rather worthless.
Put in/on your earware with the music turned off. Make a quiet sound that you can hear, e.g. by running a fingertop over some cloth (if you use open earbuds) or tapping something solid (in case of canalphones or closed headphones).
Now turn the music on, and make that same sound again. If you're not able to hear it because it's masked by the music, the music is too loud. Turn it down.
Please use good isolating canalphones (Etymotic, Shure, Sony) or, if you cannot get used to them for whatever reason, closed over-the-ear headphones. Both types reduce the outside noise, so you'll be able to (and you should) listen at a much lower volume and still get all the details. Open earbuds are evil.
Flourescent (adj): smelling like ground wheat.
n the end, the best way to prevent hearing damage is probably "in-ear phones" or "canalphones". See etymotic, shure, sony, sharp. They are just earphones that go deep inside the earcanal and use a material (usually silicone or foam) to make a seal with the earcanal to prevent any external noise from "leaking" in. Thus, you dont have to turn up the volume to allow you to hear your music over cars, computer fans, tvs, etc... Thus, your music is at a lower volume and your hearing is happier
Exactly.
I've had an ipod for about a year now, and used to keep the volume between 80%-100% when I was out and about, because that level was requred to drouwn out the surrounding sound with the stock earbuds.
I bought a set of Shure E2C's about two months ago, and find myself listening in the 20%-40% range, and having to take the earbud out for things like talking to clerks at stores more often. I use the foam inserts with mine, and they work great.
Actually, I've got an appointment with an audiologist tomorrow to get my hearing checked. It'll be interesting to hear what she says.
I think I need a new sig here.
I agree with your general points here, specifically the parts about the "canalphones" being better. I think the article was saying basically what I think you're trying to say: the more noise that your headphones/earphones let in, the louder you will listen to the music to compensate.
If you want to hear your music at +60db over your ambient noise then at 40db ambient you'll be listening at 100db. If you use canalphones that block 30db of noise, you'll be at 70db. I'm fuzzy on the exact nature of decibel math - but the point is the same regardless of the numbers. Using my Shure E3c canalphones I have an almost silent background for my music, even on a plane.
You are exactly right - canalphones (or other noise blocking ear phones) are the best way to preserve your hearing.
However I think the article is right too - because ear buds block absolutly no outside noise you are forced to turn up the volume to compensate. Combined with the lack of frequency response (particularly bass) you turn it up even louder to get good sound.
So earbuds are bad for two reasons:
1) They do not block any outside noise causing music to be turned up louder to compensate
2) Poor frequency response causes the music to be turned up louder to get a more "full" sound.
If you are squeamish you may not want to read this. I am now substantially deaf in my left ear (20% hearing over a much-reduced frequency range), owing to a perforated eardrum, which occurred in the course of an agressive fungal infection in the outer ear canal. I suspect that infection was brought on or at least encouraged by the habit of wearing foam-covered earbuds for extended periods, including at night when asleep in bed. All of which was surely foolish, but who would have thought it could result in deafness?
When using earphones, the bacteria population in your ears increases about a thousand times, so better not use them all the time!
I am an audiologist.
This is a completely inaccurate and fully misleading "test"
1) It is very dependent on your setup.
2) Equivalent Loudness is not an accurate measure of hearing ability for too many reasons to name here. Suffice it to say that "thresholds" are how we audiologists measure it.
3) THE "DIAGNOSES" ARE WRONG. Completely. None of them are remotely correct. High-frequency hearing loss almost never indicates a wax buildup or middle ear dysfunction. Mid-frequency (2-5kHz) loss is NOT middle ear dysfunction. Low-frequency (250-500) loss does not indicate noise-induced hearing loss. THEY ARE ALL WRONG, DISREGARD THEM COMPLETELY. Diagnoses can only be given by an audiologist or an ENT physician. And not one of these are anywhere near correct.
4) Hearing loss above 10kHz is natural and doesn't mean anything. Further, persons with normal hearing need a much higher output level at 15kHz than at 500Hz to even detect sound.
The best way to test your hearing? Visit an audiologist. They can help you.
If you want a MUCH more accurate hearing screening, you can visit Freehearingtest.com. It's a screening... not very accurate, but much more so than this. And easy to do as well.
I suggest visiting wikipedia to learn more about hearing loss. Also, the American Academy of Audiology.
"Tinnitus is horrible (ringing in the ears), but it's also common to suffer damage in the 3-6 KHz range, where much of the understandability of speech is"
I have just that problem. After too many years of listening to loud rock music in my youth I have the strange situation of still being able to hear very high frequency sounds well for my age (late 30s, could still hear
17khz at company medical a few years ago) but I can have trouble understanding what someone is saying if the enviroment is noisy, whereas other people around me have no problems. Its wierd because I can hear the sound of the voices no problem, but my brain sometimes just can't work out the words.
The Noisy Ape.
Interesting stuff!
I used an ASR-33 teletype terminal for 5+ years. Doing that has stuffed my hearing. Now, 30+ years later, I have horrible squealing tinnitus. Please youngsters, take care of your hearing. Once you damage the micro-hairs in your cochlea you have damaged them and your hearing for ever. End of sentence. Period. They will not heal. Listen to the programs while you still can.
Getting the "right" volume is hard when you're on a bus/train/treadmill/anywhere with background noise. With background noise then almost any volume where you can hear the music is too loud.
You can get earphones which block the background noise, but like, nobody does.
I don't mind ipod owners going deaf. It's my revenge for all the annoying psst psst noises they make sitting next to me. Can't anybody go anywhere or do anything without loud music these days?
No sig today...
If you have a good earbuds - they may actually improve your hearing. Etymotic ER4P, for example (the ones that I have), provide great noise isolation, so you don't really have to turn your volume all the way up - even on a New York subway train you can enjoy a quiet and pleasant music in those. So in fact, good earbuds can _improve_ your hearing - especially in New York Subway (if someone have ever been on "Union Square" station for 4/5/6 trains will know what I mean ;) ), simply because you won't have to hear all that noise and enjoy the music instead.
My rule for volume was that if somebody standing near me can hear it, even if it's just a quiet hum or just the beat, it's too loud. Every once and a while my boyfriend tells me he hears voices, which is his way of telling me to turn down my audiobook's volume.
One of mine was colicky -- went on crying jags five hours long.
A hint: foam earplugs. You can still hear 'em, but they takes the nerve jangling edge off so you can operate like a human being.
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
they want their health scare back.
C-x C-s C-x k
Listening to loud music causes hearing loss.
Fire prooved to be 'Hot' by team of Japanese Scientists.
UK based research finds water to be 'wet'.
Isn't this another case where the tool is demonized in stead of the user? There is nothing about these headphones that forces you to turn the volume up to 10 all the time (or 11, if you have the Spinal Tap model)! In fact, I have often wished I had earbud headphones. Why? So I could turn the volume down.
If you listen to music in a noisy environment, you should ask yourself: Do you really want to add more to that already almost deafening noise?
As for tinnitus, it's a real pain. My right ear has been ringing ever since I foolishly acted as the starter in a school athletics competition. Didn't have hearing protection on, still have tinnitus. The event was 19 years ago.
The rule of thumb suggested by researchers at Boston Children's Hospital is to hold the volume of a music player no higher than 60 percent of the maximum, and use it for only about an hour a day.
Unfortunately, this recommendation is likely to fall on deaf ears.
Dear Will, the plums were poisoned. -- Cheese Club
Sweet, I have a pair of those too! You don't need to turn them up nearly as much as a pair of earbuds to get the same quality of sound, but yeah, I agree that turning it up just to block out background noise isn't just anti-social, it's unhealthy.
;-)
Those that say it's necessary in some situations (on a bus/train/etc) should really reconsider where and how they listen to music. Truly, the most enjoyable and healthy way to listen to music is with a quality stereo system in your living room, but if you must take your tunes to go, may I suggest this: use a pair of earbuds in your nose.
No, seriously. Place each earbud in your nostrils, close your lips but leave your jaw open. Then plug your ears and enjoy -- just remember to breathe every once in a while. Not only does this produce a really cool voice-in-your-head effect, you can crank your player to the max, and cut out the background noise without fear of hearing loss because it's resonating in your sinuses and mouth instead of your ear canals.
The downside: it diminishes the stereo effect some and people tend to look at you funny -- a small price to pay.
This sig rocks the casbah.
I have to disagree. I have some serious hearing loss due to listening to handheld music devices for most of my life. The nice incessent ringing in the background is a joy. Plus saying, "What did you say" about 100 times a week is rather bothersome. The worst part is the inability to hear when you're in a place with a lot of background noise. For example you cannot have a conversation in a restaurant without the people with you speaking very loudly. Not to mention people are always saying "tone it down" since I speak normally with an elevated level to hear myself (not intentionally).
Hearing loss is horrible, don't fuck with it.
Thank you for some reasoned clarity in this discussion. Other recent medical research cites that it is the prolonged exposure to sound is just as damaging (if not more so) than periodic exposure to high-decible sounds.
In short, continuous exposure to music from headphones, earbuds, or any other source prevents the cilia (tiny hair cells that vibrate from sound waves) from resting. Without that chance to rest (vibrate less), they eventually become damaged and cannot transfer sounds as well. I've had a 50Db loss in one ear for almost 20 years (not related to headphones or concerts). One of my sons is almost totally deaf in one ear. Unfortunately, most people don't think about their hearing until it is too late.
HERE IS THE ONE PIECE OF ADVICE I HOPE ALL OF YOU WILL CONSIDER:
Just take those earphones off periodically and rest your ears, just as you should get up and walk away from your computer screen to rest your eyes.
The future holds the promise that technology may eventually allow full bionic ear replacements, but what will you miss while you are waiting?
I use irony whenever I can, but my shirts are still wrinkled...
First off, because they are custom molded to my ear, they don't put pressure on the ear canal in order to stay in place. Much more comfortable. The coolest thing is how they work though. When I first tried them on, I thought they weren't working very well. I could still hear everything just fine. It was rather odd. However, after wearing them a few times in high noise situations, I noticed something. When I left the noise...my ears weren't ringing. And that's the best part. I can hear everything and it sounds normal, and yet my ears are protected. Give 'em a try. Yes, they are expensive But they're protecting something you can't get back once you lose.
Stand clear of the doors. The doors are now closing.
Hear Hear. When I'm on the train and I can hear someone's music over my own, I know their volume is too high and I know they are destined for hearing loss. From the article:
And other studies have shown that because the tiny phones inserted into the ears are not as efficient at blocking outside sounds as the cushioned headsets, users tend to crank up the volume to compensate.
The trains are noisy and I found that I would have had to turn up the volume on my music so I could hear it. As a result, I have stopped listening to my music on the train for fear of hearing loss. Anything that means I need the volume at 10 or 11 means the ambient noise is too loud and I turn off the music.
This makes me worried about national health care. If it (national health care in the US) ever happens I know that my taxes will go up to pay for these fools who have hearing loss due to poor choices they are making now.
"I find myself covering my ears during the previews, which tend to have intense, compressed action with a lot of music and narrative to pump up the adrenaline. Generally when the main feature begins the sound volume settles down a bit but it can still be worrisomely loud."
Actually, while the music and explosions all over the prieviews have something to do with the extra noise, much of the problem comes from the fact that movie previews are run in a different sound format than the movie itself. I was a projectionist a few years ago during highschool. Because movie traliers are a dime a dozen and shipped to us all the time, they usually did not have digital soundtracks. We had to run them in surround sound stereo (2 channels out of 4 speakers). Because our audio was tuned for dolby digital, which was more delicate...these previews butchured the sound and seemed way too loud. A good projectionist would turn down the master volume for the previews, and then back up for the main feature, but a lazy one, which is the more common one, just lets it all run set up for the main feature. So next time this happens, you'll know that you've got a projectionist on minimum wage who doesn't give a rats as, and now you know, and knowing is half the battle.
I think the problem here is that people don't know what is an acceptable volume level. It seems that the general consensus among younger people is if your wearing headphones, you should hear the music and the music only.. So they crank it up, but when your using those little earbuds, which put the speaker about 2cm (or less) from your eardrum and crank it up to >110db, of course its gonna be damaging to your hearing. Since their so small, your gonna hear more of the ambient noise around you, so to drain it out, they crank up the volume. I've been listening to music at work for about 2 years now, for 8 hours a day, and I've had no hearing problems whatsoever. I think it also helps to get those little fuzzy covers for the earbuds. -circut
I remember reports on how listening to music through earphones/headphones/1000watt stereo etc could damage your hearing back in the days of the Sony walkman, i.e. 1978 or so. It's a slow new years eve week when they drag that one out of the closet, dust it off and send it around the block to shock gullible mommies and poppies before putting it back into cold storage for the next dull tech news week.
NEWSFLASH!!!!!! (OMG!) Extremely loud sound can damage your hearing.
Weep.
The problem with headphones, ear-buds and In-Ear Monitors is exactly that we've blocked out the world around us. Our brains use environmental queues to help warn us when something we hear is too loud - before the onset of physical pain. The brain can determine how loud somthing is based on how the sound interacts with the space we're in. The brain uses similar methods to determine which direction a sound is coming from. Our insticts kick in when it gets too loud and we want to stick our fingers in our ears, even though we don't because we'll look "too old."
Another issue (which doesn't seem to have been brought up yet) is duration of exposure. I don't recall the exact figures (ask OSHA), but the idea is this: your ears can only do so much work in a given period of time. Loud noises work your ears more than soft ones, but sustained moderate-volume noises can work your ears as much if not more than loud noises. Once your ears pass their "working" threshold, you will start to damage them. Every time you leave a loud environment (like when the Who is in town) and you notice your ears ringing, you're noticing new permanent hearing damage.
As we age, our ears gradually sustain more permanent damage. Contrary to what many believe, there is currently no way to repair or reverse hearing damage, only ways to work with it. Hearing aids simply amplify noises we can no longer detect (thereby hastening further damage) and cochlear implants effectively replace the natural inner ear mechanism with an artificial one which while allowing the person to hear again probably doesn't sound as "right" as the original did.
In addition to loudness, other factors can contribute to hearing loss. Cigarrette smoke, alcohol, poor diet, poor sleeping habits, and CAFFEINE all increase a person's risk for hearing loss.
I started playing the drums when I was 10 years old, and I didn't wear earplugs regularly until my early twenties when I was studying audio engineering at Berklee College of Music. I suffer from tinitus (cronic ringing of the ears) and I've found that in addition to a good diet and plenty of water, the best way to reduce the ringing is to avoid caffeine, consume alcohol only moderately, and avoid smoky environments. I've also found that if I know I'm going to be in a loud environment (like a concert, seminar, party, etc), I can protect my ears by maintaining a softer environment for the rest of the day - ie, not listening to loud music, wearing earplugs when I'm walking down a city street or on the subway or in the car, etc.
I think everyone who has concerns about their hearing could benifit from this.
I can't believe you made me put ear buds in my nose.
I just crossed from office-geek into "don't stare and walk away slowly" dude.
Ah hell, maybe I'll get me some crazy eyes and complete the package.
Thanks!
Why, o why must the sky fall when I've learned to fly?
I just crossed from office-geek into "don't stare and walk away slowly" dude.
I don't think that it's really that weird, unless you think of "anyone trying something new" as weird. Automobiles and electric lighting were all new at one point...
I suspect that the enjoyment of a media is greater when you have more related stimuli firing that your brain can tie together.
People like bass. I doubt that this is because low notes are just really neat, but because they can *feel* the bass -- vibration and air pressure differences on their skin. A chair that has an embedded subwoofer could produce some of this effect.
Video games that have audio triggered by various in-game events, producing a synchronized audio-video simuli, have stomped silent video games.
There have been some attempts at games that produce even more synchronization between audio and video. A number of games now have not merely sound effects triggered by game events, but adaptive music. The game state affects the type of background music playing -- Lumines, Total Annihilation, all kinds of newer games. Your brain gets to tie together finger actions with music.
There have even been some video games which alter game state based on audio -- for example, Vib-Ribbon and Rez have game events triggered in synchronization with the audio as *well* as audio that adapts itself to game events (and, for that matter, outside of the US, Rez had a vibrator that one could hook up to the game via USB to provide tactile feedback). Now, Rez didn't sell all that well, but I strongly suspect that this was because it was too unusual for people to try it out -- the people I know that *do* play Rez are generally pretty rabid about it. The concept of associating more stimuli to produce a more enjoyable experience generally seems to work pretty well. The same approach seemed to work well for Dance Dance Revolution.
I've seen a lot of game designers take the idea of tying more forms of stimuli together, but they often just seem to think something along the lines of, "I should make a game based on music", and then the game doesn't really rise above anything other than a game oriented around music. There's no real reason why you couldn't take *any* of the types of games that currently have background music (i.e. almost all of them) and simply synchronize various game events to the music.
I wonder how well a full-body suit would sell, something that provides tactile stimuli that could be synchronized with audio. I mean, yes, it would be expensive, but I also see vendors for audiophiles selling multi-thousand-dollar cables, amplifiers, and headphones to try to reproduce that sensory experience crafted by the musician just a *little* more accurately -- surely, just adding more stimuli to the mix would be more worthwhile.
I wonder when the RIAA (which dearly loves moving to new formats and forcing everyone to buy their audio over again) will try shipping music in a new format, where it can contain video tracks or tactile tracks. If they want to be less ambitious, at least lighting tracks -- coming up with a standard where you have, say, eight lights each containing R, G, B elements, and allowing them to fade or flash to various colors in time to the music would seem to be a pretty cheap and compelling way to get people to purchase new music all over again.
WinAMP and various computer-based audio players try to automate the above via beat detection and use extracted data from the audio stream as input to a video image. However, as people who have tried this out know, not only is automated realtime beat and rhythm detected far from perfect, but elements of the music that are quite pe
Any program relying on (nontrivial) preemptive multithreading will be buggy.