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  • MONDAY JANUARY 2 2006 8:00 AM

Think Tinnitus

Submitted by jake_lex

Edited by Shal

A professor is warning that the earbuds that come standard with IPods pose a greater risk of causing hearing damage than conventional headphones. The problem has less to do with their volume, and more to do with the fact that they may not fit well and cause users to turn up the volume to drown out background noise.



The earbuds commonly used by iPod listeners are placed directly into the ear and can boost the audio signal by as many as nine decibels -- comparable to the difference in sound intensity between an alarm clock and a lawn mower, Garstecki said.

Yet, the earbuds do not always fit snugly in the ear, but often allow background noise to seep in, which causes listeners to crank up the volume.

In turning up the volume to drown out background noise, however, people "don't realize they may be causing some damage" to their hearing, Garstecki said.

This danger is not confined to MP3 users, such as iPod owners. Earbuds are also used with compact disc players and Walkmans. Audiologists have cautioned about the potential risk of hearing loss associated with such devices since the 1980s.



You may be better off with earphones that sit outside your ear (with or without noise cancellation capability). Besides, this coupled with stories about thieves using the sight of the white IPod earbuds as a way to target a victim might make you think about replacing them.

For me, it was the combination of poor sound quality and ears that hurt like hell that made me run out and get a new set of earphones.

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Comments
Moya

Moya

Milwaukee, WI
January 2005

JAN 02, 2006 08:06 AM

I still wear my
I don't like those little ones that go inside your ear. I think it's gross, especially when they are being shared between people..

Cash

Cash

USA
OLD SKOOL

JAN 02, 2006 08:10 AM

I have tinnitus. It sucks...bad. Don't get it.

Idjit

Idjit

HOPEFUL

I'm lost

JAN 02, 2006 08:55 AM

I fucking hate earpuds. I've tried countless different models over the years including very high-dollar models, and they all suck. It's a fundamentally flawed approach to fine sound reproduction. Do yourself a favor and get some over-the-ear folding headphones, like the relatively cheap Sony MDR-V6's:

pmonkeyEsquire

pmonkeyEsquire

I'm lost
May 2004

JAN 02, 2006 09:03 AM

yeah. big ol 70s headphones are still the best! ooo aaa

Oh, and kids, tinnitus is no laughing matter. My special lady has it and it prevents her from going to concerts, sometimes we have to leave movies if her ear plugs don't work, loud sudden noises can ause her hours of discomfort and pain. It ain't no fun. So unplug that epod and listen to the world naturally! ooo aaa smile

[Edited on Jan 02, 2006 by pmonkeyEsquire]

NicolovesMarch

NicolovesMarch

Prospect Park, PA
July 2004

JAN 02, 2006 09:05 AM

Every pair of headphones I have ever bought, borrowed, received as a gift- is damaged. I don't know if i have some kind of voodoo head phone curse, but you would think so at the rate i go through them. I did get some little headphones that go in your ear with an MP3player and i am really impressed with the quality of the sound. I think it sounds so much better than any headphones ive had before. But they are annoying as fuck because they always fall out of my damn ears. I'm not too worried because i dropped the MP3player in the toilet a day after i got it. So im back to my old CD player and old headphones.

BridgeTwnPeddler

BridgeTwnPeddler

Portland, OR
January 2003

JAN 02, 2006 10:34 AM

Heh.. I bought those Sony MDR V6's years ago for watching TV at night whilst my girl slept. Slowly over time I now use them for almost all situations, IPOD, TV, Computer, Work (background noise elimination.. NPR listening etc..)

reletively inexpensive and quite good.

jake_lex

jake_lex

Lexington, KY
February 2003

JAN 02, 2006 10:38 AM

I got a pair of Bose TriWave's for Christmas. I don't know if I'd recommend you shell out $150 for them, but they are quite fine headphones.

kissesandhxe

kissesandhxe

United Kingdom
August 2004

JAN 02, 2006 11:03 AM

Yeah, a mate of mine paid £90 for some, about $170, he calls himself an 'audiophile', but i dont think any audiophile would choose in-ear phones over big 'ol 80's style ones.

However, I think scientists should be more worried about kids like me who go to concerts and end up pushed up agains the loudspeakers at a ska-core concert, loud hi's interspersed with loud lo's has killed my hearing...

jonnytrrrash7

jonnytrrrash7

Vatican City
February 2004

JAN 02, 2006 11:05 AM

Cash said:
I have tinnitus. It sucks...bad. Don't get it.




Same here. Agreed!

Tangus

Tangus

Chicago, IL
November 2005

JAN 02, 2006 11:17 AM

earbuds are the worst thing EVER.

I have the Sony Street Style ones, and I've been using them for about 5 years straight now, about a pair a year.

Trucker_Fiction

Trucker_Fiction

Normal, IL
December 2003

JAN 02, 2006 12:07 PM

I used to hate earbuds, too. Then I picked up a pair of Shure headphones... these fucking things are so much better than the standard earbud. Each bud uses a stretchy peice of foam (of the type that modern earplugs are made out of) that comforms to the inside of your ear, totally blocking out all exterior noise, and enabling you to keep the volume low on your MP3 player. Since I bought mine, I've never had to turn up the volume past 1/2... even when I'm walking to class, outside, with traffic, city buses, etc... they're awesome.

thefreak

thefreak

NEWSWIRE

Gardner, MA

JAN 02, 2006 12:19 PM

Idjiit said:
I fucking hate earpuds. I've tried countless different models over the years including very high-dollar models, and they all suck. It's a fundamentally flawed approach to fine sound reproduction. Do yourself a favor and get some over-the-ear folding headphones, like the relatively cheap Sony MDR-V6's:



Define "relatively cheap"...you're talkin' to a guy who, unless he gets them for free in whatever Discman he just bought, will go to a local dollar store and pick up a pair of cheapos.

-TM

_DictionaryGirl_

_DictionaryGirl_

NEWSWIRE

San Diego, CA

JAN 02, 2006 12:31 PM

I've been saying this shit for years, but no one ever listens to me. I think big headphones look better, anyway.



KOSS UR-40. Set me back about $30, but they work beautifully.

Thistle

Thistle

SUICIDEGIRL

California, USA

JAN 02, 2006 12:52 PM

jonnytrrrash7 said:

Cash said:
I have tinnitus. It sucks...bad. Don't get it.




Same here. Agreed!



me too, and it always gets worse after i use my boyfriend's ipod. perhaps i am turning it up too loud.

MrStitches

MrStitches

Brooklyn, NY
November 2003

JAN 02, 2006 01:02 PM

TehAngus said:
earbuds are the worst thing EVER.

I have the Sony Street Style ones, and I've been using them for about 5 years straight now, about a pair a year.



I'm wearing those right now. I've been using them since I got a pair with a discman a couple of years ago, though I've ruined two (my own fault, not the fault of the product). I like them a lot, but sometimes they'll hurt my ears when I wear them for a long time. Though not always.

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