Australian study on hearing implicates iPods and other portable players

(Credit: CNET Networks)

"Justin...Justin...JUSTIN!!!"

This happens at least once a day...I'm at my desk, typing up a review or blog post on my computer, when all of a sudden someone sneaks up behind me and unintentionally make me jump 10 feet in the air with a simple tap on the back. How do I allow this to happen? Am I deaf? Well, not right now, but it's quite possible that I might be if I continue to constantly blast music out of my Princess Leia headphones.

A recent report out of Australia titled "Is Australia Listening?" reported 70 percent of people between the ages of 18 and 34 experience a constant ringing in their ears, which can be a symptom of permanent damage to the ear canal. The report goes on to claim that 76 percent of young adults in Australia listen to music through headphones on portable MP3 players, and I wouldn't be surprised to see a higher number in relation to the United States.

At 24, I represent the first generation to see the rise of portable music players. I remember when the headphones to my first Sony Walkman cassette player might as well have been glued to my ears. Since then, I've been addicted to personal, portable audio and I fear that I, along with the rest of my generation, will soon experience severe hearing loss due to years and years of listening to loud music through headphones. Professor Harvey Dillon of the Hearing Australia program says his general rule of thumb is if "people have to raise their voice or actually shout at you to make themselves understood while you are listening to music in your ears, then that is loud enough to be potentially damaging." As a self-professed audiophile, I take every opportunity to listen to my music. It moves along a boring work day, drowns out crazies on the subway, and helps put me to sleep at night. Some days, I feel like I spend more time with my headphones in than out. I also listen to a lot of different kinds of music, from hip-hop to metal to classical to Disney, but no matter what the genre, I must admit that I crank up the volume to the highest possible level to experience the bliss of surround sound. It sounds like my days of listening to music might be numbered...

But what about these new noise-cancelling and inner ear-canal headphones that are starting to pervade the industry? I wonder if those particular types of monitor earphones pose a greater danger than the over the ear style? Either way, my future doesn't look very bright. Are there any Millennials out there who have already started to experience hearing loss? I'd love to hear other opinions on how these listening trends will affect our health down the line.

[Alpha___13]

It's of some concern to me. I've used a pair of Shure E3c in-ear headphones for over two years now and I've found that if I get the right fit (especially with the buds that expand to your ears), I don't find it necessary to turn up my music (except on a few choice songs) because the earbuds do a pretty good job of drowning out other noise all by themselves.

[lennythespider]

As someone who enjoys having extremely sensitive hearing, and wants to keep it as long as possible, I have always been very careful with the volumes I listen to music at.

If you are someone who wants to be able to hear your music and nothing else, and not damage your hearing by playing your music super loud, then you need to get rid of outside noise. Either purchase something with active noise cancelling (large size/weight and batteries batteries batteries), or purchase one of the inner ear type of headphones (I myself use Shure SCL3s). I had a hard time with the fit of the inner ear phones, so I had some custom moulded tips made, for about $50. Now I can hear my music perfectly, and everythine else is blocked out.

I can even use them while mowing the lawn, and I never need to increase the volume of my music. Saving my hearing for the future is definitely worth the $250 I spent total. I have these things with me wherever I go now.

[tehrani625]

I have a pair of thoes princess leia cans and I LOVE them (LOVE THEM SOOSOOO MUCH) Sory had to (SOOOO GOOOD). Right now I am blasting techno to the point of being able to feel the bass. You can hear them anywhere in the house. I don't normaly do this for more then 5 min and only once or twice a month. Aside from that my iPod doesn't go past 50% and I am happy with that. I wish that I had a propper head phone amp for my monster cans. My friends joke that if I turn them up more then I will blow out the windows which I do want to try.

[jknightsmith]

We are so lucky to have hearing. I was in a health and safety course one day and the presenter had a program that simulated hearing loss based on any factor you wished to input. I don't know what it was called, but I was alarmed at what can happen with even 30secs of exposure over 30 years. Someone asked about ipod and he said that would do this over about 20 years... Well I was shocked, there was a massive loss on the high end and also a lot on the low end.

Even since that, I don't play my music loud at all. I can usually hear everyone talking, though sometimes in busy areas I have to remind myself to keep it low.

[lomm_ER]

I don't listen to headphones anymore, I enjoy the sound of silence and use speakers for ambient music.

I?ve posted about this earlier.

I?ve used headphones with an ordinary USB stick-like DAP for 4 years. The last 3 years while working a fulltime occupation as an operator in a callcenter. So I?ve had my dose of acoustic input. There is only that much noise one can have. After changing work I deceided to never ever use headphones again. Because sound is like a illegal drug. It stimulates various parts of your brain and inner-ear and it physically changes the way you feel. You can even go completely over stimulated on it. It sounds funny but notwithstanding that my ears were really hurting it took me several tries to get off of ?noise?. I had to change my music habits and kept reaching for the headphones and turning up the volume too loud. Last January first (2008) I finally decided never ever again to listen to music through headphones. It worked. I still listen to music, but only on speakers. I know this story is extreme because I?ve worked in really noisy conditions for 3 years, 8 hours every day. Most readers of this blog won?t have ears that are hurting because of the music they listen too. But I wonder how many young people are going to end up stupified with sound or even deaf. Hearing loss lags your listening and is permanent in nature. And maybe all that music is just a way not to think or even be conscious about the life your living. There is beauty and calm in silence too. Switching from headphones to silent playing speakers can be a first step to an adult and calm consciousness of the space and situation your in. I think silence doesn?t have to be scary.