Playing loud music on your headphone may cause hearing loss by damaging your inner ear. However, this does not mean that the use of headphones will inevitably decrease your hearing ability. Correctly using headphones will result in no damage to your hearing. Only by using them too often or too loudly can it cause hearing loss.
Of all the headphones that are on offer, which of them
physically damages hearing? Or is it down to the individual
to monitor their own safety?
Well, some companies have offered a safe alternative – but
some have been discontinued due to poor sales.
Some companies produced equipment which limited volume
automatically or warned the user when the sound was set too
high.
The public rejected the idea with the response that it was
up to the user how loud their music should be. That line of
equipment was quickly discontinued.
Today, some companies have introduced systems whereby
volumes on different tracks are corrected to the same
level.
Others provide a system for the user to manipulate their
own preferred settings and gives better control than the
auto-corrected version.
Some governments have jumped on the bandwagon in recent
years and have imposed limits on the levels of sound
personal equipment can emit.
Of course, many have said that this is infringing on the
freedom of users and use other software to remove the
limits.
These governments have used the arguments that not only
does the hearing damage caused bring a financial burden on
the economy – future hearing loss medical interventions –
but also the burden of accident victims who have caused, or
been involved in accidents, due to the inability to hear
the surroundings when immersed in their personal music
players.
Of course it will always be up to the individual on how
loud he/she wants their music to be. Perhaps the answer
lies in education.