Ever since the release of the iPod Classic in 2001, users have turned the volume all the way up on their music player. Dean Garstecki, a Northwestern University audiologist and professor, reveals that the harmful sound waves do in fact damage the inner ear.
“In addition to the more intense sound signal, today’s music listening also encourages users to listen for longer periods of time than did the older portable devices. That, too, increases the potential for hearing damage,” Garstecki said.
Garstecki, as well as other members from the Roxelyn and Richard Pepper Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, recommends that using the MP3 devices, including iPods, for no more than about an hour a day and at levels below 60 percent of maximum volume will drastically prevent hearing loss.
“If music listeners are willing to turn the volume down further still and use different headphones, they can increase the amount of time that they can safely listen,” Garstecki said.
Hearing specialists strongly suggest buying headphones that enclose the entire ear. The advantage to this entire coverage is being able to block out excess noise, therefore allowing the sound to be heard from a lower volume.
A new set of headsets that have become popular with the students at Palmetto is Beats by Dr. Dre. Not only are the headphones stylish and sleek, but they provide a pristine sound for any music lover.
“They even have a good bass feeling so you can feel the music rather than just generic headphones that play music,” junior George Leone said.
According to the online news site CNET News, the top four soundproof headphones out since November of last year are the Klipsch Image S4 earphones, Grado PS1000 earphones, Shure SE535 Sound Isolating earphones, and Bose QuietComfort 3 earphones, within the $75 to $2,000 price range.
If there is worry over whether the effect from headphones has taken a negative turn, the first sign to inner ear decay is a slight ringing inside the eardrum. the car.
In the end, certain precautions can lead to an easygoing session of head bobbing without any harmful aftereffects.