Rainbow Wynne: Earphone "hurts"!!

Friday, June 22, 2012

Earphone "hurts"!!

Have you ever noticed that your ears start to hurt after listening to your iPod for hours on end?

It might have something to do with that nonstop hair-metal playlist you made, but it’s more likely due to “listener fatigue”.

Here’s what happens: Listening to music through small headphones seals your ear canals. Volume levels are significantly louder in sealed ear canals than they are in open canals, so your eardrums have to work extra hard to manage the volume. But ironically, that defense mechanism makes loud volumes seem softer than they really are, so you turn the volume up even more. That puts an even bigger strain on your eardrums, which is when you start feeling the fatigue.

The potential solution: A lens that looks like a tiny ear-sealing balloon. It latches on to the tip of an earbud, where the “sacrificial membrane” disrupts the high sound-pressure waves from the headphone speaker, protecting your eardrums in the process.

As a result, lower volumes sound much louder because you’re not triggering the ear’s protection and wearing out those muscles. Also, you’re protecting your hearing because when those muscles are fully engaged, they don’t do as good a job at catching the high volumes that they’re supposed to protect you from.

A study found that: listening to music at full volume through an iPod for more than five minutes a day using Apple’s earbuds can increase your risk of hearing loss. To cut your risk, just lower the volume: The same study says you can safely listen to an iPod for 4.6 hours per day at 70 percent volume using Apple’s earbuds.

But you won't listen in "full" volume right? My advise is 50 percent volume should be sound good. Or else, change your earphone to headphone instead. Headphone only covered your outer ear, not sealing your ear canals.

Enjoy listening......but don't forget to protect your ear too.

Finally sharing some MV with you guys... enjoy !!