http://www.king5.com/health/Study-shows-one-in-five-teens-has-hearing-loss-114908854.html
Obviously the reporters on this segment are a bit uneducated about responsible use of an MP3 player, they have been arguing about this subject for over 30 years when the first Walkmen came out, but notice when you click to watch the video on the above link, that they mention absolutely nothing on alternatives to those notoriously hideous-sounding earbuds that every iPod has been supplied with from the get-go, such as IEM's (In-Ear Monitors, which are like earplugs) or full-sized headphones (which act like earmuffs), and/or their noise-isolating/canceling capabilities, allowing for lesser volume due to the noise-isolation provided by their design.
I am more than aware that most kids (and some irresponsible adult MP3 users) use up to 100% volume on their players so they can block out outside noise they think is interfering with their overall enjoyment of their music on their player while using those hideous-sounding earbuds that were supplied with their players and that owners think they have to use with them. Perhaps better education on the many aftermarket choices in IEM's and cans would be better than frivolously bashing the players and their users themselves.
Also, they mentioned nothing about aftermarket portable headphone amps that we know of and use, which provide less distortion and cleaner sound, we here on head-Fi already know the hearing-damaging factors of total harmonic distortion (up to 25% THD at full volume) that the onboard amplifiers on players can introduce to a person's ears.
Someone here from Head-Fi needs to educate the producers of this segment about the many choices in IEM's and cans available that allow you to play their iPods at a lesser volume level because of the noise isolation/cancelation their designs provide.
Thanks for hearing me out on this, because we Head-Fi users are responsible enough to hear this.
Ray Jackson
Head-Fi user ID: BIGHMW
