Will the next generation of high end audio consumers — today‘s youth — be around if most of them suffer from permanent hearing loss due to excessively loud headphone listening? A new study reveals a billion youth are already affected and that number may be fast rising.
www.theguardian.com
As someone in his early 60s who has listened to high end audio for 35 years and still enjoys good hearing, the best advice I can give everyone is:
1. TURN IT DOWN: if you listen at average volumes that exceed 75 dB, that’s already too loud. At your listening chair, average volumes should never exceed 75 dB.
2. AVOID HEADPHONE LISTENING AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE: unfortunately it’s too easy to blast your eardrums with loud music through headphones. Limit headphone use as much as possible.
3. AVOID LISTENING TO MUSIC IN HIGH AMBIENT NOISE ENVIRONMENTS: this includes planes, trains, cars, and outdoor environments where there’s a lot of ambient noise. Unfortunately, this is exactly the opposite of what most people do. They blast their car stereo so the whole neighborhood is vibrating. Cars are very high ambient noise environments, often > 80 dB. It’s the worst place on earth to enjoy quality music. On planes, if you must listen to music, use noise cancelling headphones. I find Bose headphones very effective. I often use mine without music just to get rid of the +85 dB engine noise that plagues airline cabins. It cuts down on the noise by +20 dB.
Your ears are a miracle of biology. Over its most acute range, the eardrum moves less than the width of a hydrogen atom in hearing the faintest sounds. Think about how sensitive an instrument it is. It can be easily destroyed. Once destroyed, there’s no hope of recovery.
One billion young people risk hearing loss from loud music
Study suggests 24% of 12- to 34-year-olds globally listen at ‘unsafe level’ on devices and visit noisy venues
www.theguardian.com
As someone in his early 60s who has listened to high end audio for 35 years and still enjoys good hearing, the best advice I can give everyone is:
1. TURN IT DOWN: if you listen at average volumes that exceed 75 dB, that’s already too loud. At your listening chair, average volumes should never exceed 75 dB.
2. AVOID HEADPHONE LISTENING AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE: unfortunately it’s too easy to blast your eardrums with loud music through headphones. Limit headphone use as much as possible.
3. AVOID LISTENING TO MUSIC IN HIGH AMBIENT NOISE ENVIRONMENTS: this includes planes, trains, cars, and outdoor environments where there’s a lot of ambient noise. Unfortunately, this is exactly the opposite of what most people do. They blast their car stereo so the whole neighborhood is vibrating. Cars are very high ambient noise environments, often > 80 dB. It’s the worst place on earth to enjoy quality music. On planes, if you must listen to music, use noise cancelling headphones. I find Bose headphones very effective. I often use mine without music just to get rid of the +85 dB engine noise that plagues airline cabins. It cuts down on the noise by +20 dB.
Your ears are a miracle of biology. Over its most acute range, the eardrum moves less than the width of a hydrogen atom in hearing the faintest sounds. Think about how sensitive an instrument it is. It can be easily destroyed. Once destroyed, there’s no hope of recovery.
