Is it true? A question to everybody on head-fi. - Page 3

Mostly depends on listening volumes. The rule of thumb is always moderation.

If you get really good seal with IEMs, then they can potentially be better for your ears; it will prevent you to raise volumes further in noisy environments. You may perceive it as hearing the same volume but its more like 'hearing the same difference in volume' between output volume and background noise. The comparison is not 100% accurate but you get the idea.

Also a point I'd like to make is bass. We actually absorb vibrations through our jawbones too. So one can say that we hear anything that produces enough vibrations through our jawbones as well as our ears. Speaking of vibrations in music, bass should spring to mind. Loud bass, especially. If you like listening to loud and boomy bass in your IEMs, you will definitely ruin your hearing faster. This actually applies to headphones too, though headphones do not limit all the source into your ear canal. For these kind of music its still best to listen through speakers... still pay attention to keeping moderate volumes. I know there's aren't a lot of information about jawbone and hearing but if you're skeptical of its role in hearing, try either of these:

-Get punched in the jaws! (effective way to temporarily disable a person)

-Go clubbing with ear-plugs. You will still get a headache.

-Recall a dentist drilling your teeth, or get that done.

Haha, well those suggestions all sound very stupid of a thing to do because they either impairs your senses and hearing for a while or give you headaches or make your ears ring. From simple searches you can probably also find the existence of hearing airs strapped to peoples teeth (puts a mic at your ear that will simulate normal hearing, and convert whatever capted as vibrations to your teeth/jaw).

Of course, if you're here on Head-Fi then it's because you recognize the benefits of using earphones/headphones. Truth is they're not that good for your ears... like anything that is too loud! So your best bet is get anything with good sound isolation (though it is very difficult to block out low frequency waves) and listen at moderate volume. Ideally, listen moderately as well. Heck, something I can't get myself to do!

Fun fact: my acoustics prof has a good long history with dealing with sounds and vibrations. His take on anything with boomy bass or just too much bass = bad for your hearing. He also mentioned that, for his only daughter, the only thing he will NEVER buy her is a pair of headphones/earphones. Given his work experience and research results, I'd think he is very credible. We all live our own lives though, so listen to music the way you want. Though the part about bass affecting your hearing I'd say is pretty important... maybe that's why Beats by Dre sound so bad! (ok, ok, no more Beats bashin for me lol)

+1, I would also add common sense. You don't need a bunch of people on the Internet to tell you when you're damaging your ears.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by kalbee 

moderation.

 

This is quite a common thing that people say.

It used to be with cheap headphones that they would have a frequency response similar to that of a speaker. With a speaker, being a few meters away will allow the higher frequencies to be partially absorbed, however with a headphone the high frequencies pass through less air and so at the same overall volume the high frequencies will be loud and damage the ears. It's also common for people to turn up the volume in this situation to hear the bass.

However, this is not current headphone design. Don't turn them up too high and your ears will be fine.

I used in ear shure earbuds for years while riding my motorcycle.  I never used excessive volume and could very often hear my exhaust through the helmet.   However over time my hearing was damaged,  My doctor told me that using the earbuds for several hours at a time as i would allows bacteria to grow deeper in the ear canal than would with over ears.  Maybe he is full of it but is still something to consider.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maximilian 

I used in ear shure earbuds for years while riding my motorcycle.  I never used excessive volume and could very often hear my exhaust through the helmet.   However over time my hearing was damaged,  My doctor told me that using the earbuds for several hours at a time as i would allows bacteria to grow deeper in the ear canal than would with over ears.  Maybe he is full of it but is still something to consider.

I've actually heard of this before as well. Not sure if the hearing problems are due to bacteria or not though... well, better listen to the doc sometimes than regret; hearing does not recover, sadly...

I read somewhere that the dynamic range of the human ear is only 50db. Sound is compressed for higher decibels because those little hairs are at a practical limit.

The law of diminishing utility, the more you have of something, the less it is worth, must come into effect at some point on the volume control.  It would be cost-effective to buy cheap headphones if one only desires ear-ringing SPL.