09-13-2005, 05:00 AM
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Contributing Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,228
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Headphone Use Can Increase Hearing Loss
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/09/12/D8CJ24E83.html
"Researchers fear the growing popularity of portable music players and other items that attach directly to the ears including cell phones is contributing to hearing loss in younger people."
I know I listen to music or podcasts a lot more than I used to, especially since I have a 1GB SD card that holds plenty of music for me. I don't do hardly anything outside that takes longer than 15 minutes without putting my headphones on, and when talking on the phone, it is a Bluetooth headset that shoves that opening way down next to your eardrum, so I guess that too will take its toll in the years to come. :? The good thing is, my hearing is damaged enough that 64kbps VBR WMA files sound great! :wink: :rotfl:
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09-13-2005, 05:29 AM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,041
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I played in symphonies and orchestras for years, where music can quite loud, no hearing problems. I only use headsets and headphones that allow air to pass between the headset and my ear. Hearing is still excellent.
I used to use the Jabra headset that basically plugs into your ear canal and did not like it. I can literally feel my ear drum being damaged. It just did not feel right.
Most people use ear-plug type of headphones and I seriously wonder how their hearing will be in years to come. The damage to ears doesn't seem to take long to show up. I wonder what's worse though: earplug headphones or people blasting their car stereos while driving.
I think genetics has an even greater influence on hearing loss than we think. My brothers and sisters also played in symphonies and orchestras and half of them suffer from significant hearing loss. This may have come genetic hearing loss from my mothers side of the family.
Regardless, I hope that someone has a no B.S. assesment whether certain types of headphones cause significant hearing loss.
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09-13-2005, 05:45 AM
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Magi
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 2,124
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I would think that if you play the music at a safe volume then the type of headphone won't matter....however the difference is a safe volume with ear buds is lower then a safe volume with regular headphones or ordinary speakers or whatever.
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09-13-2005, 02:02 PM
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Swami
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 4,303
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by PetiteFlower
I would think that if you play the music at a safe volume then the type of headphone won't matter....however the difference is a safe volume with ear buds is lower then a safe volume with regular headphones or ordinary speakers or whatever.
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Agreed. I'm always very careful with headphones and will gently turn the volume up from very low, until I can clearly hear the music. Some folks start high and turn the volume down, which can lead you with a higher volume level. If someone else can hear the music in your headphones, it's probably too loud.....
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09-13-2005, 05:20 PM
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Magi
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 2,341
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by ricksfiona
Most people use ear-plug type of headphones and I seriously wonder how their hearing will be in years to come. The damage to ears doesn't seem to take long to show up. I wonder what's worse though: earplug headphones or people blasting their car stereos while driving.
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For years I worked as a rigger for rocks shows and heard lots of loud music. You've never experienced music till you have sat atop a speaker stack at a KISS concert. Through all that I never experience much hearing loss. A few years ago I fell into the habit of wearing earbuds to listen to music. I did it for 2-3 years. That is when I started experiencing hearing problems. I now have ringing in my head 24 hours a day 7 days a week. It has had such an effect on my hearing that I miss at least 50% of what is said to me the first time. In groups of more than 2-3 people, it approaches 100%......If you want to put up with constant ringing in your ears do what I did. It's not fun, and it has a real impact on your life.
Dave
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09-13-2005, 06:46 PM
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Magi
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 2,124
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See the thing is, hearing damage is cumulative and can take time to fully show up. You WERE damaging your hearing all those years you were going to rock concerts with no hearing protection. It probably happened slowly and that's why you didn't notice it, but by the time you started using the earbuds you probably needed to have them at a volume that would be unsafe just so that you could hear them. Adding that to your already borderline hearing was probably just the straw that broke the camel's back. But there's no guarantee that if you'd used regular headphones instead of earbuds that you WOULDN'T have the ringing and the hearing loss now. It's just a progression of the damage you've done over the years.
If you're going to use any headphones at all, you should be aware of the potential danger of very loud music that close to your eardrums. Don't use the headphones 24/7 and when you do, keep the volume reasonable. Personally, I don't use earbuds just because they're so uncomfortable! But I just can't see how the inch (maybe) of difference in proximity to the eardrum between buds and regular phones could make that much of a difference at all.
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09-13-2005, 06:56 PM
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Magi
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 2,341
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by PetiteFlower
See the thing is, hearing damage is cumulative and can take time to fully show up.
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You're absolutely right PetiteFlower. It was actually sometime after I had been using the earbuds that my problems began, but I'm sure I wasn't helping myself working concerts. In defence, there was something in the smoke at concerts back then that impaired one's thinking. 
Dave
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09-13-2005, 09:46 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 31
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One problem is the level of ambient noise. If I listen to music in bed I have my PPC on minimum volume and it sounds fine thru my earbud headphones. During the day I have to have it much loader, to drwon out traffic, other people, etc.
For 3 years I wandered around Oxford with a Sony Walkman (14 years ago). This has permanentlyaffected my hearing. This is definatley not a new problem.
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09-14-2005, 01:09 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 12
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Personally, I think that earbuds (and I mean serious earbuds that are noise isolating - in-ear canalphones) are a much better choice than open-air cans, especially if you're going to be in areas with lots of ambient noise.
With in-ear phones that isolate you from outside noise you don't have to crank the volume to unsafe levels just to hear the music clearly and enjoy it. With non isolating phones (earbuds or cans), you may well find yourself winding that volume up without even noticing it and thus doing more damage to your ears.
Hearing loss is fairly well understood, I'd say... it's a matter of volume and the time of exposure. Very high volumes can do damage quickly and moderately high volumes will also do damage but much more slowly. High frequencies do more damage than bass, for bass sounds to do damage you need to go much higher in volume.
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