Briefly: MSN on iChat, iPod hearing damage...
updated 09:15 am EDT, Mon May 9, 2005
iPod hearing damage
In Brief: Express Online has been , by using iPods and other music players.
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Comments
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05/09, 10:05am |
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Blame The People
iPods don't cause deafness, people cause deafness. Or, in my case, my nieces and nephews. I walk into their homes and the TVs are turned up, the stereo is turned up and the most commonly, faintly heard, phrase is, "What? I can't hear you!"
At first I thought, great here we go again, iPods cause an increase in crime and now iPods cause deafness. Then I thought that this is a rehashing of an old message updated from 8-Track to iPods.
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05/09, 10:19am |
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I'll call BS
I've been listening to LOUD music since the early 70's (I'm 50) and my hearing hasn't suffered a bit. Still offscale on hearing tests... YMMV
Z
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05/09, 10:58am |
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Um...
WHAT????!!
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05/09, 11:06am |
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ANR...
JeffHarris, why don't you like ANR (Active Noise Reduction) headsets. They are far safer than actually sticking something into your ear. If anything goes wrong, in-ear headphones can cause a h*** of a lot more damage than anr sets. Audiologists hate in-ears far more than any other single device for that reason. I'm curious why you think anr headsets are even worse.
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05/09, 11:36am |
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iPod isn't loud enough!
I'm hearing-impaired and I require a hearing aid to be able to hear. I have to turn my iPod up to max volume for it to be usable with my 1/8" to hearing aid input adapter, and it just can't go any higher. The hearing aid itself is designed to block sounds that are too loud, so if I turned the iPod up to a level where (for me) it would be damaging, the hearing aid will block that.
As others have said, it's not the fault of device designers that people are suffering hearing loss. Some audio equipment makers include pamphlets with their products that describe how to properly use the equipment and avoid hearing loss, but Apple doesn't as far as I'm aware. (They might and I just don't recall).
A good way to do it might be to limit the volume unless the user sets a menu item like "Override volume limiter" to "yes" (and have it default to no) and take advantage of the fact that many users don't ever look at the advanced features of devices/apps.
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05/09, 11:37am |
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Oh, and ...
... my hearing loss was not caused by loud sound. It's congenital, caused by prenatal rubella. So I'm no hypocrite. ;)
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05/09, 11:45am |
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I remember this.....
The Sony Walkman received the same flak in the early 80's - 'cause that's about the time the explosion of smaller earphones [instead of those gimongous ones used in the 60's and 70's] came onto the scene 'cause tech had advanced enought o shrink them down_
So if anybody - we should og back and blame Sony again for inventing the smaller headphones to begin with_ --------------------------- I'm glad to see the 80's making a come back - just didn't think this was going to be one of the first manifestations_
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05/09, 11:56am |
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Re: I'll call BS
"I've been listening to LOUD music since the early 70's (I'm 50) and my hearing hasn't suffered a bit. Still offscale on hearing tests."
Hope you enjoy your tinitus later in life!
Believe me, is NO fun!
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05/09, 12:51pm |
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Re: I remember this
The Sony Walkman received the same flak in the early 80's - 'cause that's about the time the explosion of smaller earphones [instead of those gimongous ones used in the 60's and 70's] came onto the scene 'cause tech had advanced enought o shrink them down_
Actually between the humongous headphones and the small walkman style, there was also the ear-plugs used on transistor radios (yes, transistors! no tubes! its great! one of those terms like Hi-Fi that just made you want to go out and get one!). My mother wouldn't let us use those, something about going deaf or whatever. I didn't see the big deal, as it only went into one ear, so the other was OK.
Ah, the 70s. Good times, good times.
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Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Oct 1999
Blame the iPod
Hearing damage from portable music players is nothing new. Singling out the iPod is ridiculous. It seems like the iPod has now become another convenient target for numerous social ills. Articles with new theories seem to be popping up weekly.
Cranking the volume to blot out ambient noise like subway, bus or airplane noise IS a problem which can be solved by buying a set of noise blocking (NOT noise canceling), in-ear head phones. How many people will actually do this, is debatable and I'm sure that few will.
So, what to do? Ignore the nay sayers and buy stock in hearing aid companies!