How not to go deaf for a living
Jim Carroll
There was a fair bit of coverage in the last 24 hours about that survey which claims that 51% of people listen to their MP3 players at dangerously high volume levels. The survey was published to plug Hearing Awareness Week, a campaign from the Irish Deaf Society in association with hearing aid company Hidden Hearing.
The headline figures from the survey, which was compiled by Red C and backed by European Union and World Health Organisation reports (though the latter report was published back in 1997), are fairly startling: one in five people are blasting their ears with sound levels of 100db or more (the equivalent of hearing a pneumatic drill 10 feet away); 11% of MP3 player users and 35% of people attending gigs and concerts say they have experienced ringing in their ears and 40% of MP3 players tested reach sound levels over 100db – listening at this volume can cause damage to your hearing after just 30 minutes.
The stat about live gig-goers stands out a mile to me. I can’t even begin to contemplate the damage which I’m inflicted on my hearing over the years (and I’m not just talking about the amount of shite bands I’ve had to endure). Without even going for a hearing test, I know that years of heavy-duty gig-going have taken their toll. For instance, I’ve now reached the stage where I don’t even try to have a conversation with someone while a band are onstage because I know I won’t be able to make out a word they’re saying. And I’m sure I’m not alone in this.
But it’s never too late to do something about it. Reading Tenacious Tim’s account of his battle with tinnitus was one of the big impetuses for me to buy ear-plugs to use at gigs. It took a bit of effort to actually (1) remember to bring them with me and (2) to actually use them, but the more I have used them, the more comfortable I have become with them. All that’s turned down is the volume: the sound quality is as clear and unmuffled (provided the soundman is doing his job right) as it would be without ear-plugs. It’s also worth noting that more and more gig-goers appear to be plugging in. Suffering because of bad music is one thing – suffering because of tinnitus or ear damage is quite another.
I run all my mp3s through mp3gain, free from the good people at Sourceforge, http://mp3gain.sourceforge.net/ , the default 89db is quite adequate, IMO.
Being a light sleeper I got customised ear plugs from a place near O’Connell Bridge, forget the name , it’s near where Virgin Megastore was, for about €100. Increasingly I’m bringing them to gigs, wearing them nearly always during the support band & the main act if they’re too loud. It’s wonderful, I’m no longer shell shocked the following day. It’s a matter of choice & judgement. Saw The Fuck Buttons sans plugs in Berlin last October and hugely enjoyed their full on aural assault, an important part of their act, I was shattered the next day, it was worth it. Saw them again at The Button Factory in December with plugs in. Still an enjoyable evening, though I was conscious from other reactions that I was missing something.
@50
Hey Quint?
Frank Cass in kimage is great. i got mine last year €198 including vat, which if you are working in the music business and file tax returns, can be claimed back. i used the alpine pro for a while, they did the job for a while but the moulded ones are the way to go. it really isnt that much money for what youre getting,and what youre stopping happening, i.e irreversable hearing damage.
Frank Cass will do a free hearing test, and a moulding, then a fitting when they come back, and he will remould them if they arent comfortable, as in my case an air bubble had formed on the left one and it wasnt fitting right.
the filters are about 40-60e i think, but you really only need one set, unless you get them wet, in which case they are ruined. the ER15′s are the best bet for gigs, unless you like speaker hugging, in which case go for the 25′s!
until you try them you really wont believe how good they are, because they attenuate the noise it just turns the volume down by -15Db. if someone is talking to you beside you, you can hear them perfectly with out them shouting, also when you go outside, you can leave them in, as the wont reduce the noise by -15Db unless the ambient noise is over a certain level.
all in all they are a must for anyone going to gigs….
and i also aggree, venues should give out the foam ear plugs for free at every show, at least give people the option, after all, mogwai did it at their olympia shows!