Careful with those headphones—1 in 4 Americans have noise-induced hearing loss

TomXP411

Ars Tribunus Angusticlavius
9,356
It's funny how our perception of things is often at odds with reality. Our brains are really good at fooling us into believing we see things or hear things we actually don't. I occasionally use a tone generator when installing and checking audio equipment, and it was a surprise how much I've lost. It *sounds* to me like the high end is there, but apparently our aural hardware and software compensates for the missing frequencies.
 
Upvote
69 (69 / 0)

TomXP411

Ars Tribunus Angusticlavius
9,356
Time to invest in hearing aids. I predict apple iEar in 30 years.

I think there are already hearing aids with built-in Bluetooth, and someone recently showed me some with a remote control that lets you adjust the audio profile for various activities and noise levels.

Those things are darned sophisticated.
 
Upvote
27 (27 / 0)
Post content hidden for low score. Show…

Case

Ars Tribunus Angusticlavius
6,747
No doubt. I try to keep my kids off them as much as possible.

I have hearing loss, though it's from loud band practices through the years! Ironically, I'm still in bands only because of earbuds, because they dramatically lower stage volumes when you are 5 feet from a drummer (we don't exactly play Wembley...)

Once you lose those frequencies, they are toast.

I wonder if the new "open collaborative" office crap is going to be a cause of hearing loss...at my office, there are tons of people that can only concentrate by wearing large headphones to try to drown out the babble.
 
Upvote
60 (60 / 0)

flunk

Ars Praefectus
5,686
Subscriptor
Alcohol hurts the liver, computers hurt the eyes, music hurts the ears... we might as well live as bubble people because everything awesome has a consequence!

No, this isn't one of those cases. Hearing loss is totally preventable, you can continue to listen to music without it causing hearing loss. You just need to do so at a lower volume.
 
Upvote
67 (68 / -1)

vlam

Ars Tribunus Angusticlavius
7,132
Alcohol hurts the liver, computers hurt the eyes, music hurts the ears... we might as well live as bubble people because everything awesome has a consequence!

No, this isn't one of those cases. Hearing loss is totally preventable, you can continue to listen to music without it causing hearing loss. You just need to do so at a lower volume.

But if I lower the volume, what's the point of having an amp that goes to 11?
 
Upvote
61 (61 / 0)

SixDegrees

Ars Legatus Legionis
48,454
Subscriptor
Alcohol hurts the liver, computers hurt the eyes, music hurts the ears... we might as well live as bubble people because everything awesome has a consequence!

No, this isn't one of those cases. Hearing loss is totally preventable, you can continue to listen to music without it causing hearing loss. You just need to do so at a lower volume.

But if I lower the volume, what's the point of having an amp that goes to 11?

The point is not needing an amp that goes to 11?
 
Upvote
-15 (4 / -19)

Drizzt321

Ars Legatus Legionis
33,215
Subscriptor++
A 110 decibel rock concert can cause damage in a couple of minutes, for instance.

I love being right up front in the middle of it all, which is why I wear ear plugs (such as Surefire EP4 plus) that are comfortable, ant 24+ dB protection. And I regularly back out and take a break where the music isn't thrashing my body.

EDIT: meant to use quote, not url
 
Upvote
5 (7 / -2)

Burner1515

Ars Scholae Palatinae
1,194
Alcohol hurts the liver, computers hurt the eyes, music hurts the ears... we might as well live as bubble people because everything awesome has a consequence!

No, this isn't one of those cases. Hearing loss is totally preventable, you can continue to listen to music without it causing hearing loss. You just need to do so at a lower volume.

LOL that would require thought and work. That's not the merica way! We can't do anything to make a difference so fug it all LMAO. love people like this lonewolfe feller :p
 
Upvote
5 (9 / -4)
"After all, we want you to be listening for a lifetime."

So I get to listen to the sound of my own tinnitus rather than never-ending ads and idiotic politicians? Time to turn it up and rock out!

(I swear, my dad thinks hearing loss is the best thing that ever happened to him. He has the perfect excuse for ignoring everything and everyone.)
 
Upvote
37 (38 / -1)
Alcohol hurts the liver, computers hurt the eyes, music hurts the ears... we might as well live as bubble people because everything awesome has a consequence!

Or learn to moderate your intake of harmful stimuli. You can choose to binge less, or less often. You can look away from your screen often enough to negate eye strain. You can turn down music to reasonable levels, or wear hearing protection when exposed for long stretches.

Nobody ever said that you should lose the things you enjoy - but don't act like you're the victim when your liver, eyes, lungs, and ears fail you - you have brought it all on yourself.
 
Upvote
7 (8 / -1)

Mongo McMongo

Ars Scholae Palatinae
888
Subscriptor++
Alcohol hurts the liver, computers hurt the eyes, music hurts the ears... we might as well live as bubble people because everything awesome has a consequence!

No, this isn't one of those cases. Hearing loss is totally preventable, you can continue to listen to music without it causing hearing loss. You just need to do so at a lower volume.

But if I lower the volume, what's the point of having an amp that goes to 11?

The point is not needing an amp that goes to 11?

But then where do you go when you need that extra push over the cliff? Nowhere, that's where!
 
Upvote
14 (14 / 0)

Burner1515

Ars Scholae Palatinae
1,194
Not to mention rock concerts, truck-pulls, firing a gun without hearing protection...


We harm our hearing many different ways Beth.

......Which of those are not preventable? Which of those do you do daily for as long as you would listen to say a whole 70 minute album?

I struggle to find the point but I guess I am too dumb LMAO :p
 
Upvote
1 (2 / -1)
Post content hidden for low score. Show…
Damage done during the era of Hysteria... Sadder and wiser, and the tinnitus is no party either.


I can sympathize, I got tinnitus a few years ago. Luckily, its a mild form, just a constant, mild 'ringing' sensation. It isn't high pitched like some cases.

I can empathize with William Shatner, who apparently has a horrible form of tinnitis he contracted during a special effect explosion gone awry on the set of the original star trek series back in the 60's. If he can survive and thrive with the condition, anyone can. It also probably explains his exaggerated acting style.
 
Upvote
10 (10 / 0)
Alcohol hurts the liver, computers hurt the eyes, music hurts the ears... we might as well live as bubble people because everything awesome has a consequence!

Or learn to moderate your intake of harmful stimuli. You can choose to binge less, or less often. You can look away from your screen often enough to negate eye strain. You can turn down music to reasonable levels, or wear hearing protection when exposed for long stretches.

Nobody ever said that you should lose the things you enjoy - but don't act like you're the victim when your liver, eyes, lungs, and ears fail you - you have brought it all on yourself.


Tinnitus is one of those theoretical conditions one reads about and then promptly forgets ...until that fateful day you realize you hear ringing .... ;)
 
Upvote
15 (15 / 0)

genphp

Well-known member
200
Alcohol hurts the liver, computers hurt the eyes, music hurts the ears... we might as well live as bubble people because everything awesome has a consequence!

No, this isn't one of those cases. Hearing loss is totally preventable, you can continue to listen to music without it causing hearing loss. You just need to do so at a lower volume.

But if I lower the volume, what's the point of having an amp that goes to 11?



No point.






Sell to me, i give you good price , you pay fo da shipping, ok?
 
Upvote
-8 (1 / -9)
I put on ear plugs even when I blow dry my hair. Even in college in the 80s when I went to parties with outrageous loud amplifiered sound decibel I found it unbearably painful, and left after a few minutes. Not much hearing loss here. I never wear earbuds when out for walk as the iPhone speaker is loud enough to listen to podcasts and much safer.
 
Upvote
-2 (4 / -6)

East Wind Rain

Ars Scholae Palatinae
681
And then you have those complete assholes who deliberately modify their car, truck, motorcycle to be louder. Rice rockets Hondas/Acuras with the fart-can mufflers, Harleys trying to rattle every window in every building they pass by, ghetto Cadillac SUV's with that roar and super sub-woofers.

Don't these idiots (99% male) know that their vehicle sounds like a non-stop fart?

They're annoying as hell, set off car alarms and make children cry. My only consolation is that these dumb-asses will be the first ones on hearing aids.
 
Upvote
28 (30 / -2)

vlam

Ars Tribunus Angusticlavius
7,132
And then you have those complete assholes who deliberately modify their car, truck, motorcycle to be louder. Rice rockets Hondas/Acuras with the fart-can mufflers, Harleys trying to rattle every window in every building they pass by, ghetto Cadillac SUV's with that roar and super sub-woofers.

Don't these idiots (99% male) know that their vehicle sounds like a non-stop fart?

They're annoying as hell, set off car alarms and make children cry. My only consolation is that these dumb-asses will be the first ones on hearing aids.

Every summer by my place becomes a game of trying to avoid the loud, outdoor birthdays/parties so that the base from annoying Mexican music doesn't give me a headache. This is usually done by having enough local music (my PC, the tv, whatever) to drown out the thumping. Sadly it doesn't always work. It's really obnoxious when every other weekend is plagued by too loud music. :/
 
Upvote
-5 (2 / -7)

2Fictious

Smack-Fu Master, in training
85
Damage done during the era of Hysteria... Sadder and wiser, and the tinnitus is no party either.


I can sympathize, I got tinnitus a few years ago. Luckily, its a mild form, just a constant, mild 'ringing' sensation. It isn't high pitched like some cases.

I can empathize with William Shatner, who apparently has a horrible form of tinnitis he contracted during a special effect explosion gone awry on the set of the original star trek series back in the 60's. If he can survive and thrive with the condition, anyone can. It also probably explains his exaggerated acting style.

Never knew that about him... explains a few things ;) I remember hearing Pete Townsend talking about it and thinking well, yeah, mate... how many concerts at more than 120 decibels?
 
Upvote
7 (7 / 0)