Hearing Protection for Musicians and

Music LoversBY TARA COLE

Live Concerts

104 dB

101 dB

Live Concerts

100 dB

108 dB

103 dB

100 dB

101 dB

Five Ways To Save Your Ears Published In The Rolling Stone

1.Wear earplugs2.Turn it down3.Get better headphones4.Give your ears a rest5.Quit smoking

1. Wear Earplugs

• Classic foam earplugs will do• Invest in higher-fidelity

Etymotic ER-20 plugs• Earplugs for musicians

Etymotic ER-20

• Sound quality is preserved• Speech is clear, not muffled• Reduces sound

approximately 20 dB at all frequencies

• $12

Musician’s Earplugs

• High fidelity custom hearing protection• Sound quality is clear and natural, not

muffled• Noise fatigue is reduced• Etymotic ER-9

o Provides 9 dB flat sound reduction through the mid range, with the same high-frequency attenuation as the ER-15.

• Etymotic ER-15o The first Musicians Earplug; the

standard from which all other ER attenuators were designed. Provides uniform 15 dB sound reduction across frequencies

• Etymotic ER-25o Provides 25 dB of relatively flat

attenuation across frequencies

2. Turn It Down

• Don't crank up your music to compensate for other noise around you.

3. Get Better Headphones

• Headphones that shut out external noise allow you to turn down the tunes.

Sony’s MDR-EX71

• Reduces outside noise for high-intensity listening

• Helps generate powerful, resonant bass response

• $40

4. Give Your Ears A Rest

• Your ears need about eighteen hours after exposure to sustained high volumes before they return to normal.

5. Quit Smoking

• Smoking doubles the risk of noise-induced hearing loss.

• Cardiovascular restrictoro Reduces blood supply to

inner-ear nerve cells.• Adequate blood supply is

needed for nerve cell recovery.

Apple Warns iPod May Cause Hearing Damage

• Permanent hearing loss may occur if earbuds or headphones are used at high volume. Set the volume to a safe level.

• You can adapt over time to a higher volume of sound that may sound normal but can be damaging to your hearing.

• If you experience ringing in your ears or muffled speech, stop listening and have you hearing checked.

• The louder the volume, the less time is required before your hearing could be affected.

• Hearing experts suggest that to protect your hearing:o Limit the amount of time you use earbuds or headphones at high volume.o Avoid turning up the volume to block out noisy surroundings.o Turn the volume down if you can hear people speaking near you.

Rock Concert

Set Max Volume Limit Here

Setting the Maximum Volume Limit

• You can choose to set a limit for the maximum volume on iPod classic and assign a combination to prevent the setting from being changed.

• To set the maximum volume limit for iPod classic:o Choose Settings > Volume Limit. The volume control shows the current volume.

o Use the Click Wheel to select the maximum volume limit. You can press Play to hear the currently selected song play while you select the maximum volume limit.

o Press Play/Pause to set the maximum volume limit. A triangle on the volume bar indicates the maximum volume limit.

o Press the Menu button to accept the maximum volume limit without requiring a combination to change it. Or, on the Enter Combination screen, set a combination to require that the combination be entered to change the maximum volume limit.

o To enter a combination: Use the Click Wheel to select a number for the first position. Press the Center button to confirm your choice and move to the next position. ﾂ Use the same method to set the remaining numbers of the combination. You can use the Next/Fast-forward button to move to the next position and the Previous/Rewind button to move to the previous position. Press the Center button in the final position to confirm the entire combination.

References

• http://www.hear-the-world.com/en/experience-hearing/how-you-can-protect-your-hearing.html?gclid=CIbliNm-jp0CFQhV2god2iqX2Q

• http://toddh.net/music/ear/ • http://homerecording.about.com/od/hearingconservation/a/Music_Earplugs.htm • http://www.westone.com/content/8.html • http://www.hearnet.com/ • http://www.hearingreview.com/issues/articles/2006-03_06.asp • http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-165819826.html • http://www.audiologyonline.com/news/news_detail.asp?news_id=1509 • http://www.livestrong.com/article/5327-need-hearing-protection-musicians/• http://www.shure.com/personalaudio/products/earphones/eseries/us_pa_e4c_content• http://www.etymotic.com/• http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/8841090/music_making_fans_deaf