| Kids have always loved listening to their favorite | | | | while indoors with no background noise, the |
| music, and the louder the better - much to their | | | | participants were comfortable with their music at |
| parents' dismay. In the 1980s, the portable tape | | | | 69 decibels. Outdoors, where the background |
| recorder with headphones - which came to be | | | | noise was recorded at 65 decibels, participants |
| known as the "Walkman" - enabled teenagers to | | | | using their headphones turned the volume up to |
| listen to their music as loud as they wanted, | | | | 82 decibels and as high as 95 decibels to drown |
| anywhere they wanted, without disturbing anyone | | | | out the surrounding noise. The Occupational |
| around them. | | | | Safety and Health Administration guidelines limit |
| But the more modern rendition of the Walkman - | | | | exposure to noise at this level to no more than |
| portable MP3 Players and iPods - pose a major | | | | four hours each day. The study concluded that |
| threat to our children's hearing health, and to ours. | | | | the participants were at risk for hearing damage |
| The problem is a combination of the technology | | | | and recommended "avoiding continuous use of |
| of portable digital devices that creates a | | | | [portable stereos] in noisy conditions." |
| non-buffered crystal clear sound, and the type of | | | | Northwestern University's Dean Garstecki offers |
| headphones typically used with them, which do | | | | more specific guidelines: His 60 percent/60 minute |
| not have a buffer either. In December 2005, | | | | rule - listen to MP3 Players and iPods for "about |
| Dean Garstecki, an audiologist and professor at | | | | an hour a day and at levels below 60 percent of |
| Northwestern University reported that more and | | | | maximum volume." The problem is, most of the |
| more young people were being diagnosed with | | | | population using headphones - young music fans - |
| the types of hearing loss typically found in older | | | | listen to their music for much longer than one |
| adults. He attributed this trend to the "earbud" | | | | hour per day. But, you can help minimize hearing |
| type headphones that usually accompany iPod and | | | | loss, damage and problems while listening to your |
| MP3 Players. With the earbud headphones, the | | | | favorite music as long as you want to - the |
| sound frequencies are not buffered as they are | | | | secret is in the headphones. |
| with the more traditional, ear cup-style headsets. | | | | Headphones such as the EX29 Extreme Isolation |
| Newsweek Magazine recently reported that | | | | Noise Reduction Headphones help block out |
| researchers at the House Ear Institute found that | | | | external noise allowing you to hear the fine details |
| listeners can unfortunately increase the volume of | | | | of your music without blowing out your ear |
| today's portable digital devices without the "signal | | | | drums. The ear cup fits over the ear, and not in |
| distortion that occurs with traditional analog audio." | | | | it, and the headphones are lightweight, don't |
| The older-model headphones that were popular | | | | require batteries and can be used with your MP3 |
| just 15 to 20 years ago - that have ear cups | | | | Player or iPod. With 29 decibels of isolation from |
| outside of the ears - had that distortion when the | | | | outside sound, the quiet headphones block outside |
| volume was turned up, which functioned as a | | | | noise and there is no need to crank the volume |
| much-needed buffer to protect our hearing. | | | | of your music. |
| Today's technology does not provide that buffer | | | | Aging rock stars like the Who's Pete Townsend, |
| - the earpiece is placed in the ear, not outside of | | | | who has some permanent hearing loss from |
| it, and the digital devices do not create that | | | | years of exposure to loud music, and Mick |
| distortion, no matter how high the volume. | | | | Fleetwood, who has teamed up with Energizer |
| In addition, people often listen to these devices | | | | batteries to promote hearing loss prevention, |
| while they are on the go, and have a tendency to | | | | have brought public attention to the fact that |
| crank the volume in an attempt to drown outside | | | | many of us take our hearing for granted. But |
| noise, further posing a risk to our hearing. Using | | | | there's no need to turn off your music - just be |
| the earbud style headphones during activities such | | | | smarter about how you listen to it. If you are |
| as exercise, for example, puts the user at a | | | | using your MP3 Player or iPod when you're |
| greater risk. During exercise, blood, which can act | | | | exercising, in a noisy environment or you just |
| as a buffer, is diverted from the ears to other | | | | want to hear the fine details of your music, ditch |
| parts of the body - so our already vulnerable | | | | the earbud headphones and reach for a set of |
| hearing is in even more jeopardy. | | | | noise reduction ones instead. And you'll be |
| Headwize reports that a study conducted on | | | | enjoying your favorite music for a long time to |
| music listeners using headphones revealed that | | | | come. |