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Cranking the Volume on
Your iPod or MP3 Player Can Damage Hearing
by: Lee Blue
Kids have always loved listening to their favorite music, and the louder
the better – much to their parents’ dismay. In the 1980s, the portable
tape recorder with headphones – which came to be known as the “Walkman”
– enabled teenagers to listen to their music as loud as they wanted,
anywhere they wanted, without disturbing anyone around them.
But the more modern rendition of the Walkman – portable MP3 Players and
iPods – pose a major threat to our children’s hearing health, and to
ours.
The problem is a combination of the technology of portable digital
devices that creates a non-buffered crystal clear sound, and the type of
headphones typically used with them, which do not have a buffer either.
In December 2005, Dean Garstecki, an audiologist and professor at
Northwestern University reported that more and more young people were
being diagnosed with the types of hearing loss typically found in older
adults. He attributed this trend to the “earbud” type headphones that
usually accompany iPod and MP3 Players.
With the earbud headphones, the sound frequencies are not buffered as
they are with the more traditional, ear cup-style headsets. Newsweek
Magazine recently reported that researchers at the House Ear Institute
found that listeners can unfortunately increase the volume of today’s
portable digital devices without the “signal distortion that occurs with
traditional analog audio.” The older-model headphones that were popular
just 15 to 20 years ago – that have ear cups outside of the ears – had
that distortion when the volume was turned up, which functioned as a
much-needed buffer to protect our hearing. Today’s technology does not
provide that buffer – the earpiece is placed in the ear, not outside of
it, and the digital devices do not create that distortion, no matter how
high the volume.
In addition, people often listen to these devices while they are on the
go, and have a tendency to crank the volume in an attempt to drown
outside noise, further posing a risk to our hearing. Using the earbud
style headphones during activities such as exercise, for example, puts
the user at a greater risk. During exercise, blood, which can act as a
buffer, is diverted from the ears to other parts of the body – so our
already vulnerable hearing is in even more jeopardy.
Headwize reports that a study conducted on music listeners using
headphones revealed that while indoors with no background noise, the
participants were comfortable with their music at 69 decibels. Outdoors,
where the background noise was recorded at 65 decibels, participants
using their headphones turned the volume up to 82 decibels and as high
as 95 decibels to drown out the surrounding noise. The Occupational
Safety and Health Administration guidelines limit exposure to noise at
this level to no more than four hours each day. The study concluded that
the participants were at risk for hearing damage and recommended
“avoiding continuous use of [portable stereos] in noisy conditions.”
Northwestern University’s Dean Garstecki offers more specific
guidelines: His 60 percent/60 minute rule – listen to MP3 Players and
iPods for “about an hour a day and at levels below 60 percent of maximum
volume.” The problem is, most of the population using headphones – young
music fans – listen to their music for much longer than one hour per
day. But, you can help minimize hearing loss, damage and problems while
listening to your favorite music as long as you want to – the secret is
in the headphones.
Headphones such as the EX29 Extreme Isolation Noise Reduction Headphones
help block out external noise allowing you to hear the fine details of
your music without blowing out your ear drums. The ear cup fits over the
ear, and not in it, and the headphones are lightweight, don’t require
batteries and can be used with your MP3 Player or iPod. With 29 decibels
of isolation from outside sound, the quiet headphones block outside
noise and there is no need to crank the volume of your music.
Aging rock stars like the Who’s Pete Townsend, who has some permanent
hearing loss from years of exposure to loud music, and Mick Fleetwood,
who has teamed up with Energizer batteries to promote hearing loss
prevention, have brought public attention to the fact that many of us
take our hearing for granted. But there’s no need to turn off your music
– just be smarter about how you listen to it. If you are using your MP3
Player or iPod when you’re exercising, in a noisy environment or you
just want to hear the fine details of your music, ditch the earbud
headphones and reach for a set of noise reduction ones instead. And
you’ll be enjoying your favorite music for a long time to come.
About The Author
Lee Blue is a musician, composer, and home studio recording artist. He
uses Extreme Isolation headphones in his recording studio and his office
to block out noise and distractions. Learn more at
http://www.quietheadphones.com/. |
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