Taking Care of Your Hearing

[NinjaGeek]

Well recently I've been more and more worried about losing my hearing from loud music. I feel this is probably an issue a lot of metal heads deal with, especially those of you who've been in the scene longer. I know someone is gonna say "Just turn your volume down", but I've tried this several times and quiet music just does very little for me.

Anyone know any tricks for enjoying loud music and preserving your hearing? I know one of the things I've done to help is I stopped taking the train to my classes and started walking, because the train is so damn loud, I have to turn my music especially high to hear it. Also I doubt the noise pollution from the train itself is doing anyone any good.

Anyone else have any tips for quitting the addiction to loud music? I've heard that headphones are especially bad for you, but not completely sure how true that is, and it's difficult to blast metal in a small dorm and keep things friendly.

 

[wandering_taco]

Well, for one thing I think earbud type headphones are the worst, I like the ones that cover the surface of your whole ear but are each separate, like a cross between earbuds and trad headphones. In physics there was a chart in the book that showed the decibel level where ear damage begins, I think it was maybe 80-90? Not sure on that but I tested my headphones with some equipment the teacher had and with the volume of my 2gig ipod at the max it was well below damage level, maybe 60 decibels, it was the same level as city traffic in the book.

I listen to that thing during the school months constantly near max volume level and my hearing doesnt seem to have been damaged. I can hear above the average level of hertz, dont remember what the average is but again in physics my teacher had a thing that emmited measurable frequencies, and I could hear up to about 23 or 24 thousand hertz.

 

[Vimana]

I think its best to use headphones that block outside noise. If you hear outside noise you will turn your music up louder to drown it out.

 

[unknown]

I always wear earplugs at shows. and I've had more than a couple of people ask me for a spare set.

 

[Matt]

No issue for me because I play music from the surround sound system in my room. The only time I ever use them is when I mow lawns.

 

[NinjaGeek]

Yeah as one who lives in the city, some noise canceling headphones would definitely be a solid investment on my part. And I agree about the earbuds, I can't listen to music for more than 30 minutes on those, and most of them hurt my ears just based on their shape.


I dunno how many dB my ipod puts out, but I know if I crank it to full my ears will be ringing in 5-10 minutes, and ringing = dead cilia = damage to hearing.

 

[Krigloch the Furious]

ear plugs at shows is a must. and it lets you hear the music super clearly. Especially when you are listening to someone like Nile

I shoot, so I always wear ear plugs.
I get really worried about losing eye sight or hearing

 

[NinjaGeek]

ear plugs at shows is a must. and it lets you hear the music super clearly. Especially when you are listening to someone like Nile

I shoot, so I always wear ear plugs.
I get really worried about losing eye sight or hearing

Meh, I never thought concerts were such a big deal unless you go to them all the time (with me it's once every few months). Part of what I like about concerts is how loud they are.

 

[Zephyrus]

I never wear earplugs at shows. Rarely do my ears hurt after a live experience. I use big noise canceling headphones at home. Haven't noticed any hearing loss yet. But that probably won't happen for many years if it does.

 

[audiophileguy]

go IEM(In Ear Monitors)
they are by far the safest type of headphones available
they block out up to 40dbs of outside noise, so you're able to enjoy the music at much lower volumes.. yeah, they're shoved a bit in your ear, but they still are the safest. Earbuds are the worst because they don't block out anything and they're close to the ear drums.

you can also get most IEMs custom fitted to your ears

 

[Psychonaut]

I almost never wear headphones nor have I. The only show I had to wear earplugs for was Manowar and even then they were ridiculously loud. My hearing is still excellent. I think a lot of it has to do with the headphones.

 

[viewerfromnihil]

my hearing is the same but i have this horrible ringing in my ears almost constantly. could be because at band practice, my drummer plays loud and has a loud set so me and my other guitarist have to crank our amp and we play inside of a 10x10 foot concrete shed

 

[Belligerent]

Good thread.
I've always wondered how much headphones effect your hearing as well.

 

[Melodeath]

Concert level volumes damage your ears. It's not an "only if you go to them a lot" thing.

If your ears ring after a concert, that's a sign it was too loud for you. Wear earplugs.

There are plenty of charts on the internet about common decibel levels of certain things, and the effect of exposure duration on hearing damage.

Frankly, I'm very protective of my hearing in general, although it is particularly important because I need good ears for audio production.

 

[viewerfromnihil]

Good thread.
I've always wondered how much headphones effect your hearing as well.

well, an ipod with the ipod earphones when cranked all the way produces 120 decibels. basically, it's like standing next to a jet engine

 

[Belligerent]

Jet engine? You sure...

 

[NinjaGeek]

Concert level volumes damage your ears. It's not an "only if you go to them a lot" thing.

If your ears ring after a concert, that's a sign it was too loud for you. Wear earplugs.

There are plenty of charts on the internet about common decibel levels of certain things, and the effect of exposure duration on hearing damage.

Frankly, I'm very protective of my hearing in general, although it is particularly important because I need good ears for audio production.

When I said concerts weren't such a big deal, I didn't mean they had no effect. Obviously any time your ears are ringing cilia are dieing and your hearing is going down, but you have shit loads of those things, and I've been told it doesn't make a very big impact unless it's on a regular basis.

Everyone's hearing declines as they get older, and probably if you go to concerts unprotected, yeah there'll be a noticeable difference by the time you get to that age. I'm just saying it's not nearly as big a deal as the volume of your music going into your ears on a daily basis.

Also concerts means no headphones, and my understanding is that your ears naturally close up to help block out loud sounds, but this doesn't happen with headphones, because they're not particularly loud, just really close.

 

[NinjaGeek]

Jet engine? You sure...

I'd believe it, cause there's a fucking huge difference between standing next to something and shoving something in your ear. I dunno about you guys, but I can't hear anything but the music when I put my ipod to the max.

 

[NinjaGeek]

Can anyone recommend a relatively cheap set of noise canceling headphones that work well? I have a tendency to break my headphones fairly easily, and I can't afford to repeated buy expensive ones?

Though I suppose my cheap ass headphones are probably a large part of my problem.

 

[Vimana]

Any good headphones aren't cheap.