Cranking the Volume on Your iPod or MP3 Player Can Damage Hearing

The Solution: Lower the Volume, Swap Earbud Headphones for Noise Reduction Ones
By Lee Blue

Kids have always loved listening to their favorite music, and the louder the better – much to their parents’ dismay. In the 1980s, the portable tape recorder with headphones – which came to be known as the “Walkman” – enabled teenagers to listen to their music as loud as they wanted, anywhere they wanted, without disturbing anyone around them.

But the more modern rendition of the Walkman – portable MP3 Players and iPods – pose a major threat to our children’s hearing health, and to ours.

The problem is a combination of the technology of portable digital devices that creates a non-buffered crystal clear sound, and the type of headphones typically used with them, which do not have a buffer either. In December 2005, Dean Garstecki, an audiologist and professor at Northwestern University reported that more and more young people were being diagnosed with the types of hearing loss typically found in older adults. He attributed this trend to the “earbud” type headphones that usually accompany iPod and MP3 Players.

With the earbud headphones, the sound frequencies are not buffered as they are with the more traditional, ear cup-style headsets. Newsweek Magazine recently reported that researchers at the House Ear Institute found that listeners can unfortunately increase the volume of today’s portable digital devices without the “signal distortion that occurs with traditional analog audio.” The older-model headphones that were popular just 15 to 20 years ago – that have ear cups outside of the ears – had that distortion when the volume was turned up, which functioned as a much-needed buffer to protect our hearing. Today’s technology does not provide that buffer – the earpiece is placed in the ear, not outside of it, and the digital devices do not create that distortion, no matter how high the volume.

In addition, people often listen to these devices while they are on the go, and have a tendency to crank the volume in an attempt to drown outside noise, further posing a risk to our hearing. Using the earbud style headphones during activities such as exercise, for example, puts the user at a greater risk. During exercise, blood, which can act as a buffer, is diverted from the ears to other parts of the body – so our already vulnerable hearing is in even more jeopardy.

Headwize reports that a study conducted on music listeners using headphones revealed that while indoors with no background noise, the participants were comfortable with their music at 69 decibels. Outdoors, where the background noise was recorded at 65 decibels, participants using their headphones turned the volume up to 82 decibels and as high as 95 decibels to drown out the surrounding noise. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration guidelines limit exposure to noise at this level to no more than four hours each day. The study concluded that the participants were at risk for hearing damage and recommended “avoiding continuous use of [portable stereos] in noisy conditions.”

Northwestern University’s Dean Garstecki offers more specific guidelines: His 60 percent/60 minute rule – listen to MP3 Players and iPods for “about an hour a day and at levels below 60 percent of maximum volume.” The problem is, most of the population using headphones – young music fans – listen to their music for much longer than one hour per day. But, you can help minimize hearing loss, damage and problems while listening to your favorite music as long as you want to – the secret is in the headphones.

Headphones such as the EX29 Extreme Isolation Noise Reduction Headphones help block out external noise allowing you to hear the fine details of your music without blowing out your ear drums. The ear cup fits over the ear, and not in it, and the headphones are lightweight, don’t require batteries and can be used with your MP3 Player or iPod. With 29 decibels of isolation from outside sound, the quiet headphones block outside noise and there is no need to crank the volume of your music.

Aging rock stars like the Who’s Pete Townsend, who has some permanent hearing loss from years of exposure to loud music, and Mick Fleetwood, who has teamed up with Energizer batteries to promote hearing loss prevention, have brought public attention to the fact that many of us take our hearing for granted. But there’s no need to turn off your music – just be smarter about how you listen to it. If you are using your MP3 Player or iPod when you’re exercising, in a noisy environment or you just want to hear the fine details of your music, ditch the earbud headphones and reach for a set of noise reduction ones instead. And you’ll be enjoying your favorite music for a long time to come.

Tags: iPod | MP3 Player | Noise Reduction Headphones| Hearing Loss

Eliminate Noise to Reduce Stress

By Lee Blue

If you’ve been feeling stressed out lately, you’re not alone. Stress is an accepted fact of life that most of us have grown accustomed to enduring in our busy lives. And if you are in the minority population of people who don’t feel stressed, the noise of your surrounding environment is likely stressing you, and you don’t even know it.

Whether you are aware of the stress or not, minimizing the noise in your life can significantly reduce stress and increase a sense of well-being and productivity.

There are many types of audio and visual noise that can cause distractions that break concentration and increase stress. There’s the noise of traffic and conversations when we’re walking down the street, but then there’s the subtle everyday noises of our homes and offices that can easily distract us: doors shutting, the television playing, conversations in the next cube, phones ringing, fingers tapping on the keyboard. A study conducted by Cornell University found that office workers exposed to constant noise showed physiological signs of stress, even though they did not report feeling stressed at all. Not only does the noise distract you, but it can be stressing you and you don’t even realize it.

Blocking out the Noise: Headphones and Earphones

Noise reduction headphones make any trip more comfortable–the longer the trip, the more helpful they are. During my wild youth, right between college and reality (an office job), I took a backpacking trip through Europe. On the flight over, I was given some noise reduction earphones that I used just about every day for two and a half months.

International travel should be mandatory: it’s an eye-opening experience without parallel. But it’s also an ear-closing experience. Planes, trains, boats, and buses wear on the nerves after a few days, to say nothing of the crowds. Have you been to Greece during the summer? It’s a festival of noise.

Extreme Isolation EX29 Headphones

Interested in more reviews and buying the EX-29 Headphones? Visit QuietHeadphones.com to do both.

In 1984, John Josef, a Los Angeles session drummer, decided that he needed to overcome the problem of having his headphones loud enough without leaking sound into the sensitive studio microphones. So much time and money was being wasted through constant trips to and from the control room to audition his takes, and re-takes.

As a result of his hard work and dedication, the Extreme Isolation EX29 Headphones were developed, passively reducing external noise by an incredible 29dB. Instantly, he was able to listen to a studio mix or a backing track at a comfortable volume, whilst hearing exactly what he was playing. Because of their excellent noise rejection, the EX29 Headphones allow the user to monitor sound at lower levels, thus protecting their hearing, and also considerably reducing fatigue in long sessions.

Of course, there are many other applications that the EX29 Headphones are perfect for; Home Studio musicians can record live instruments whilst sat next to their mixer, Sound Engineers can monitor the mix without hearing the main loudspeakers, and foldable earpieces mean that DJ’s can hear the monitor and live mix whilst cueing up tracks.

Extreme Isolation EX29 Headphones are a practical and cost effective solution to any situation in which the user wants to be isolated from external noise. http://www.omnisonic.co.uk/

Interested in more reviews and buying the EX-29 Headphones? Visit QuietHeadphones.com to do both.

No More Distractions with Noise Reduction Headphones

The world can be a noisy place with loud and distracting sounds – constant, droning noises – noise reduction headphones can help you get a some peace when surrounded by the distractions of life. Noise Reduction Headphones can block out the sounds and noises that occur in a host of settings and are helpful to those who need a break from the “world of noise”.

Sleeping – If you have trouble sleeping, noise reduction headphones may aid you in getting some rest. Barking dogs, traffic, and awake family members can contribute to sleepless nights, and for those who are sensitive to noise when they’re trying to sleep, noise reduction headphones create a sound-free environment so they can rest.

Playing Music – Musicians often use noise reduction headphones to help them block out sounds that may interfere with them hearing their instrument. Once the background noise is blocked, they are free to concentrate purely on the sounds they are making rather than the sounds around them. This creates an environment of total immersion into their music and allows them to perfect their work without being in a studio.

Using Noise Reduction Headphones With an MP3 Player Is Better Than Earbuds

MP3 players and portable CD players usually come with the standard “earbud” headphones. Earbuds fit into the ear like a hearing aid and are lightweight and portable. Their advantages, however, stop there. When it comes to the quality of the music you are listening to, that quality can be greatly diminished due to the inability of earbud headphones to filter out the noises that you are not interested in listening to; such as the voices, car engines, train noises, and barking dogs that may be all around you when you are out in public.One of the great advantages of MP3 players, such as iPods, and portable CD players is that you can take them with you wherever you go. Sometimes the very reason for bringing them along on an outing is so that you can entertain yourself while you are engaged in other activities, such as jogging, riding on the subway, or waiting in line at the Department of Motor Vehicles. Soothing music being piped into your ear can go a long way in easing tension when you are running errands; and upbeat, rhythmic music can help tremendously when you are exercising and need incentive to go that extra mile.

Noise Reduction Headphone Review

I wanted to write to tell you that I finally had a chance to listen to your headphones in my studio while voicing and producing a commercial for radio.

When I first put the Noise Cancelling – Canceling Reduction Headphones on and started to record my voice cold, I noticed that the mids and lows were very pleasant, the response was flat, but it felt like I needed to add a little eq at the top to make the sound of my voice really come alive. Of coarse any headphones can do this, but trying to “mix” with headphones on is another story, and not “any” headphone can do that, and that’s where the Extreme Headphones really shine, kind of like separating the men from the boys. I always mix my production using my Genelec near field monitors, but I wanted to try mixing using your headphones because they are flat in frequency.

Noise Cancelling versus Noise Reduction – The Difference When It Comes to Headphones

Noise-cancelling headphones use tiny microphones that identify the noise or sounds outside the headphones and then work to cancel out the sounds. Noise-reduction headphones (also known as noise-isolation headphones) reduce sound by being a barrier through which sounds cannot pass. What does all this mean? And how do these two differ?

Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org) states, “noise cancelling is a method for preventing unwanted sound. Sound consists of vibrations in the air, which can be represented as a wave. If a speaker emits a sound whose wave has the same amplitude and the exact opposite polarity to the original sound, the waves cancel out and the result is no sound at all.”

While this seems rather technical here is a more simple explanation: sound waves are created by the noise cancelling headphones to counter and eliminate the unwanted sound waves outside of the headphones or speakers. A digital signal processor determines what sound wave is needed to cancel the outside sound wave and it produces that sound and amplifies it through the headphones.

Quietheadphones.com Expands Sale of Noise Reduction Headphones to Schools

Noise canceling headphones are being used in schools to help students concentrate.

RICHMOND,http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif VA (PRWEB) August 22, 2005 -– Quietheadphones.com is pleased to announce the expansion of their market to include public schools. Since the website launched in November 2004 Quietheadphones.com has experienced healthy growth selling their noise canceling headphones to consumers. Recently the website began receiving inquiries and sales for their noise reduction headphones from schools.

“We have had consistent sales to consumers looking to block the sound of noisy neighbors or needing silence in order to concentrate at work,” explained Lee Blue, founder of Quietheadphones.com. “Audio engineers and recording artists have purchased the noise canceling headphones for professional recordings because they prevent sound from bleeding into live microphones when they are recording. It was just within the last few months that we realized schools can utilize the headphones for a variety of uses.”