Sure, if the levels are low, they should be okay. But sometimes it's hard to tell. Your ears acclimate to volume after a while, and you might feel the need to turn up the volume to compensate. Also, moderately loud for long periods of time without at least 18 hours between listens can ultimately be damaging. As a whole, humans are making themselves deaf now probably more than ever. Before the Industrial Revolution, most people were never subject to the kind of SPL's that we encounter on a daily basis.
Ear plugs at shows?
- Thread starter BurningSky
- Start date
Sure, if the levels are low, they should be okay. But sometimes it's hard to tell. Your ears acclimate to volume after a while, and you might feel the need to turn up the volume to compensate. Also, moderately loud for long periods of time without at least 18 hours between listens can ultimately be damaging. As a whole, humans are making themselves deaf now probably more than ever. Before the Industrial Revolution, most people were never subject to the kind of SPL's that we encounter on a daily basis.
ShadowLioness
\m/ \m/
I've been an avid wearer of earplugs for the last 8 years, at least. I lost just a tad of my hearing in my left ear at an Arch Enemy show (back in the Johan days). Most days I don't even notice it, but it is there. Since then I ALWAYS wear earplugs at shows. Within the last year I will even wear earplugs at local bars because it's gotten that damn loud. As has been pointed out already, tinitus is not a joke. I realise that some people have more sensitive ears than others, but for me loudness aggravates my ears pretty easily.
I just buy your standard orange earplugs that you can get at Guitar Center or Wal-Mart. They do the job albeit they do muff the sound. I would like to get a professional set one day soon. To me, I'll take the muffed effect over losing my hearing. In some instances, it actually makes it sound better!
Also, keep in mind that it won't necessarily take until age 60 for you to be practically deaf. Take care of your ears guys (and gals)!
Someone asked me once if I'd rather be deaf or blind. I'd definitely rather be blind.
I just buy your standard orange earplugs that you can get at Guitar Center or Wal-Mart. They do the job albeit they do muff the sound. I would like to get a professional set one day soon. To me, I'll take the muffed effect over losing my hearing. In some instances, it actually makes it sound better!
Also, keep in mind that it won't necessarily take until age 60 for you to be practically deaf. Take care of your ears guys (and gals)!
Someone asked me once if I'd rather be deaf or blind. I'd definitely rather be blind.
Are you sure about that? Think about how truly crippling it would be to be blind. If you're deaf, sure you can't hear, but you can still communicate so that's not a terrible problem. And you can SEE where you're going, who's around you, etc. It's a visual world more so than an aural one. (plus you can't drive if you're blind! haha that matters to me at least)
What I've heard is that they expect the "iPod generation" to have hearing loss at 40 equivalent to that of people twice their age.
fizz6207
Member
Meh, changes can be made to lifestyle if your blind. For me, becoming deaf would be paralysing, never being able to listen to music again, and never being able to play my own guitars again, fuck that!!! It might be harder to play an instrument whilst blind but at least I could hear it!
Edit: Not that Im saying its easy to be blind! I feel very sorry for anyone unfortunate enough to have lost their sight.
Ah ok. Ive just been planning to listen to my new Ipod quite frequently on the train etc when Uni goes back. I'll make sure to never turn it above a certain level. Thanks for the tips.
ShadowLioness
\m/ \m/
Yes. Neither option is good obviously and I can see your point (pun not intended). I would still take a non-visual world over a silent world. Silence actually drives me bananas. Driving is not an issue really, gives me good reason to have a chauffeur! Speaking and being able to hear the sounds of the world would be much more important to me (music obviously included). I supposed it's all about preference.
ShadowLioness
\m/ \m/
Ah yes, I neglected to mention the iPod issue in my original post. It's really frightening actually. Just today one of my co-workers was listening to his at his desk. I was 3 feet from him and he couldn't hear me speaking to him. I had to wave my hand in front of his face to grab his attention! He'll be in the same boat as the rest of them if he doesn't watch it.
I guess were coming from a situation where we can hear already. I'd rather be born deaf than be born blind, certainly. I agree with you that losing music at this point would be... well depressing to say the least. But I want you to spend 10 minutes walking around with your eyes closed. Then spend 10 minutes with your ears plugged. If you can tell me that its worse without the hearing, then so be it, but I really think seeing is more important.
NubianGoddess
Cream Queen
I dont have iPods or other devices. I only use my headphones when I'm trying to sleep, listening to Opeth, Paradise Lost or some classical music. the sound level of my stereo can go up to 100 - I only turn up the sound between 4 to 20. Usually I just listen for 1 hour or so. during the day while playing music, the sound isnt loud - I can still talk on a normal level with my kids. my ex-hb (the dj) lost more hearing in the ear that isnt covered by his headphones, and he was the one teaching me how to protect my precious ears.
once during college we had to do a test: being "blind" for 1 hour.... let me tell you: all of the 40 students freaked out after just 5 mins... I've known a couple of deaf people in my life, met even a few at a my then favourite club, dancing their asses off: they feel the beat of the music and that is quite enough for them. I also know a few blind people and some of them told me that they experience more problems due to the sounds around them - it is very confusing when walking around.
I think there's a difference of being born without sight or hearing than losing those abilities during life. either way: I would freak out!
once during college we had to do a test: being "blind" for 1 hour.... let me tell you: all of the 40 students freaked out after just 5 mins... I've known a couple of deaf people in my life, met even a few at a my then favourite club, dancing their asses off: they feel the beat of the music and that is quite enough for them. I also know a few blind people and some of them told me that they experience more problems due to the sounds around them - it is very confusing when walking around.
I think there's a difference of being born without sight or hearing than losing those abilities during life. either way: I would freak out!
in_absentia
Aurora Borealis
Ermz
¯\(°_o)/¯
The time my ears are at greatest risk is likely when I'm in the studio mic'ing up guitar cabs. I usually get the guitarist to crank the head so I can really hear the tubes cooking and I put my head at speaker level to get an idea of what the mic may be picking up.
Now I try to limit this to a max of 1 minute of listening in this manner, but even so my hearing tends to get dulled very fast. Doing this with earlpugs in of course defeats the point, as they color the sound.
Will have to find a way around that problem.
Now I try to limit this to a max of 1 minute of listening in this manner, but even so my hearing tends to get dulled very fast. Doing this with earlpugs in of course defeats the point, as they color the sound.
Will have to find a way around that problem.
fizz6207
Member
Have you considered getting pro earplugs fitted at an audiologist? Since I have no experience in your work Im unsure whether they would help, but they arent supposed to distort the sound at all, just lower the decibels.
Kir-ir-Bannog
...no ordinary rabbit
i never wear them myself. when i saw opeth in 2005, i wish i had them when fireball ministry was onstage. good god, they were too loud and they sounded like absolute shit. opeth was fantastic though.
FullMetalCornflake
blasphemously delicious
hmmm...
I have never worn earplugs at a show (only for my Ex-H's gigs). I should, at least for the shitty opening bands. You've given me much to ponder about...
I can't use the earplug headphones to listen to music, they hurt my ears after 5 minutes of use...
I have never worn earplugs at a show (only for my Ex-H's gigs). I should, at least for the shitty opening bands. You've given me much to ponder about...
I can't use the earplug headphones to listen to music, they hurt my ears after 5 minutes of use...
Ermz
¯\(°_o)/¯
I have heard some great testimonials about customs from engineers. I've yet to take the plunge myself though. I'm sure in the future I will get a pair moulded, but since they're so costly and there are other things ahead in the priorities list, I'll just have to limit my exposure to super-loud guitar cabs.
NubianGoddess
Cream Queen
sotua
Member
First of all, I do realize I'm reviving a thread from 2007, but believe this point should be stressed.
Live metal shows are way too loud. When I was younger I used to think the ringing ears for days after a show was a badge of honor. Years later, now I go on vacations to the lake or some place away from the usual city noise... only to hear that faint ringing that just won't stop.
The problem with earplugs is that the usual foam ones kill all the high freqs, so you get a mess of muddy bass sounds. The good news is, you don't have to spend crazy money on custom fits to get good sound quality AND ear protection:
Hearos Hi-Fi earplugs provide sound attenuation with only a very slight loss of the high end, it's like turning down volume on reality
. I used them on the Opeth show last week, and I only missed the highest freqs from Axe's ride cymbal. And after I got home I just had a mild ringing (it still was fucking loud) that had disappeared by the next day instead of three or four solid days of loud ringing.
Hearing. It lets you hear Opeth in all its glory, and if you fuck it up, it ain't coming back. Be careful with it.
Live metal shows are way too loud. When I was younger I used to think the ringing ears for days after a show was a badge of honor. Years later, now I go on vacations to the lake or some place away from the usual city noise... only to hear that faint ringing that just won't stop.
The problem with earplugs is that the usual foam ones kill all the high freqs, so you get a mess of muddy bass sounds. The good news is, you don't have to spend crazy money on custom fits to get good sound quality AND ear protection:
Hearos Hi-Fi earplugs provide sound attenuation with only a very slight loss of the high end, it's like turning down volume on reality
. I used them on the Opeth show last week, and I only missed the highest freqs from Axe's ride cymbal. And after I got home I just had a mild ringing (it still was fucking loud) that had disappeared by the next day instead of three or four solid days of loud ringing.Hearing. It lets you hear Opeth in all its glory, and if you fuck it up, it ain't coming back. Be careful with it.
I'm actually about to go back to school for my doctorate in audiology. If you don't take care of your hearing, you'll be seeing an audiologist in the not so distant future.
I just got my Etymotic ER20's, which are similar in principle to the Hearos Hi-Fi's mentioned above. Gonna christen them at the Opeth show in May.
I just got my Etymotic ER20's, which are similar in principle to the Hearos Hi-Fi's mentioned above. Gonna christen them at the Opeth show in May.
The Porcelain Eater
Member
I always wear earplugs when I go to concerts. I'm about to go to university to become a classical pianist, so my hearing is very important to me. I think you should always wear earplugs to concerts if music means anthing to you at all (especially if you go to metal concerts, since the sound operators there usually seem to think everyone is already deaf). The only times I don't wear earplugs is when I go to small jazz performances where only the acoustic bass is amplified or solo piano performances.
