Headphone-induced TINNITUS

I don't have a lot of hope for mechanical repair of hearing loss. Ears are a good deal more complicated than eyes.

The string of articles that link the iPod to potential hearing loss is continued by a piece that quotes a Northwestern University audiologist. "We`re seeing the kind of hearing loss in younger people typically found in aging adults," said Dean Garstecki. "Unfortunately, the earbuds preferred by music listeners are even more likely to cause hearing loss than the muff-type earphones that were associated with the older devices." (my emphasis)

http://news.monstersandcritics.com/lifestyle/consumerhealth/article_1069663.php/iPod_and_MP3_listeners_should_lower_volume

"That`s the difference in intensity between the sound made by a vacuum cleaner and the sound of a motorcycle engine," said Garstecki.

First of all, if you're reading this board and haven't yet thrown away the rubbish earbuds that came with your iPod: you deserve the damage - just as much as the earplug-less rocket scientists that stand directly in front of the PA system (much less exposed to the sustained loud music coming at them from all directions) at [insert loud music events here] do.

Secondly, earbuds placed directly into the ear…can boost the sound signal by as much as six to nine decibels but only if you continue to unsafely listen to music too loudly using the disposable earbuds that came with your iPod (or any other sub-par pair, for that matter).

On the other hand, if you make a modest investment in your continued listening pleasure [read: forgo the next 10 CDs you planned to purchase and put that money toward entry-level, sound-isolating headphones from Shure or Etymotic], you'll reduce, if not eliminate, the ringing and/or damage lesser earbuds might otherwise inflict on your delicate/sensitive/irreplaceable eardrums.

Speaking from personal experience: After several years (and countless hours) of gym- and subway-use and the resultant/consequent/frequent ringing, I finally made the abovementioned sacrifice (CD-purchase abstinence for music-related, sound-isolating earbuds) and leapt from a pair of non-isolating SONY EX71SL’s to a pair of Shure E2c’s.

I went from listening to music unnecessarily loudly due to my futile attempts to block either the gym’s lousy/loud music or the subway’s din, to the E2c’s successful blocking of a majority of background noise which, in turn, allowed me to turn my volume down—way down now. For example, the I had regularly set the volume on my iPod at 80-90% of its maximum volume with the SONY earbuds to now setting it at about 50% with the Shures.

The Shure website indicates the E2c’s in ear design works like an earplug to block background noise naturally. This enables you to listen comfortably at lower volumes -- even in loud environments. I guess you could say they work as advertised.

No more ringing. No more loud music.

Although it definitely took a little time (less than a week) to adjust to the lower volume. I had grown so accustomed to high volume for satisfactory listening because consciously/sub-consciously, I'd been trying to block out outside noise by turning the volume up.

Blocking noise with more noise? Obviously I'm not a rocket scientist either.

Noise-canceling headphones are another option for those who desire to listen to music for an extended period of time. These devices, while a bit more costly and more visible than earbuds, partially or fully eliminate background noise so that users do not have to crank up the volume of their music for that purpose.

http://www.petetownshend.co.uk/diary/display.cfm?id=231&zone=diary