iPod's Headphones Cause Hearing Loss

[Chris Gohlke]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.betanews.com/article/iPods_Headphones_Cause_Hearing_Loss/1137689965' target='_blank'>http://www.betanews.com/article/iPods_Headphones_Cause_Hearing_Loss/1137689965</a><br /><br /></div><i>"The popular iPod may be doing more harm than good, especially to the hearing of the user, doctors say. According to Christine Albertus, an audiologist with the Marshfield Clinic in Marshfield, Wisconsin, iPod users should limit their use of the device to two hours or less per day. The problem lies in the in-ear headphones Apple offers for the device. Before, music blasted from the speakers of their home audio systems. With the advent of the Walkman, the sound moved closer to the ear through muff-style headphones."</i><br /><br />Even doctors are getting in on the game of using the iPod name to get media attention for their research. This has nothing to do with an iPod or the headphones they provide, it is just a matter of any type of headsets that are putting the sound so close to the year. Plus, a lot of people use high volumes to compensate for surrounding noise when they would be better off investing in headphones that do a better job of isolating the listener.

[OSUKid7]

The iPod's sure getting a bad rap in these stories. I'm glad you and BetaNews explained that it's not a problem with the iPod or the earphones, it's with high volume. Still, "iPod" is in the title, and that's most certainly a negative correlation.

Guess that's what Apple gets for the success of the iPod...not to mention the whole success of the word "podcast." :x

[jeffd]

I think in %80 of ipod stories.. if you replaced the word Ipod with "digital music player" it would still be true. ;)

[Jake Ludington]

One big problem with the ear bud style headphones is that they need to be turned up louder to play over environmental noise like passing cars and trucks, sirens and even machine noises in the gym. In an ideal scenario, using an in-ear phone like Etymotic (http://www.etymotic.com), effectively isolating environmental noise and reducing the need for damaging volumes to produce a sound level above the din of everyday life. For much less sound quality with acceptable environmental isolation, the Griffin EarThumps (http://www.jakeludington.com/gadget_envy/20060108_earthumps.html) are a sort of poor man's alternative to the Etymotic line.

[jizmo]

The problem lies in the in-ear headphones Apple offers for the device.

Wha..? I thought the isolating in-ear headphones (http://www.raffaz.net/mac/iPodInEar_11.jpg) are actually much better than the cheap bud-style ones (http://www.adorama.com/images/Product/AKK14P.JPG), although the ones Apple's offering for people to buy are a bit crappy.

Or does in-ear refer to bud-style headphones too? Am I the one mixing up the terms or are they?