Sound Advice

[Diamonds&Rust]

Losing the highs or even the mids is a slow process, it creeps up and then it's too late.

Other writers down the road may also comment on the bass end loss of our hearing due to their work or other injury.

Other noises I now hear are the hydroplaning of tires on the wet road, crumpling of paper of course, and just the normal ambient noise in a public space near a busy street.

Most everyone is probably taking the above for granted.

Yes, we are.

Without going into a whole thing about my own life and hearing, I'll just say that this thread has made me re-evaluate some priorities.

I have an appointment with an ENT's office to professionally fit my 15 year old with some high-quality musician's ear plugs. (the kind that attenuate all frequencies equally) Yes, it is expensive; the question is: "Compared to what?" It's cheap compared to, oh, a year's liability insurance for a teenage driver. The alternative, disposable shooters' plugs (or something like them) are less likely to be worn because you can't hear much of anything with those things in your ears.

<Why do the sound guys try to deafen their audiences? It isn't necessary or fun. Is it tradition? Stupidity?>

It may be too late for us, Vern, but I'm going to forgo a night or two of vacation this year and try to protect my kid's hearing for the rest of his life. Whether it is a band hall, a nightclub with a live act, a rock show, or a lawnmower - doesn't matter. The result is pretty-much the same.

All it takes is awareness to know what to do.

Thanks for the nudge. I needed that.

[dynaco_dan]

Yes, we are.

Without going into a whole thing about my own life and hearing, I'll just say that this thread has made me re-evaluate some priorities.

I have an appointment with an ENT's office to professionally fit my 15 year old with some high-quality musician's ear plugs. (the kind that attenuate all frequencies equally) Yes, it is expensive; the question is: "Compared to what?" It's cheap compared to, oh, a year's liability insurance for a teenage driver. The alternative, disposable shooters' plugs (or something like them) are less likely to be worn because you can't hear much of anything with those things in your ears.

<Why do the sound guys try to deafen their audiences? It isn't necessary or fun. Is it tradition? Stupidity?>

It may be too late for us, Vern, but I'm going to forgo a night or two of vacation this year and try to protect my kid's hearing for the rest of his life. Whether it is a band hall, a nightclub with a live act, a rock show, or a lawnmower - doesn't matter. The result is pretty-much the same.

All it takes is awareness to know what to do.

Thanks for the nudge. I needed that.

Hi Bret;

Thank you very much for your added write-up on this important topic.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

If one was to ask professionals about hearing loss, there is a wealth of information available.

The hearing damage from just a front row seat at a rock concert can be ever harmful.

Standing at an airport and hearing the jets landing and taking off can also be a bad idea.

Perhaps our site members should investigate, "just how loud we should be listening to our stereos in our homes", as well.

What is the long term affect of listening to LOUD music in our homes, ongoing?

Ocassionally or once in a blue moon?

I believe everyone that just wonders around the net and reads misc information must see how the, "Baby Boomers", are approaching retirement age.

There is a large number of us in that category.

We are from an era when manufacturing was commonplace here in North America.

If one was to have used hearing protection, padded knee protection when kneeling, safety gloves and safety goggles, there would be a lot more healthy retirees able to better enjoy their retirement.

The cost to the world for these avoidable injuries is in the billions of dollars in health care costs.

I only started this topic in the interest of raising hearing loss awareness, not to preach.

I hope I have not upset anyone that may be reading this topic.

If you pass this information onto your son or daughter or grand-son or grand-daughter, one person even, they may lead a more safe, comfortable and enjoyable life.

After all, what good is hifi, when you can't hear it, right?

[dynaco_dan]

Hi Bret;

Thank you very much for your added write-up on this important topic.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

If one was to ask professionals about hearing loss, there is a wealth of information available.

The hearing damage from just a front row seat at a rock concert can be ever harmful.

Standing at an airport and hearing the jets landing and taking off can also be a bad idea.

Perhaps our site members should investigate, "just how loud we should be listening to our stereos in our homes", as well.

What is the long term affect of listening to LOUD music in our homes, ongoing?

Ocassionally or once in a blue moon?

I believe everyone that just wonders around the net and reads misc information must see how the, "Baby Boomers", are approaching retirement age.

There is a large number of us in that category.

We are from an era when manufacturing was commonplace here in North America.

If one was to have used hearing protection, padded knee protection when kneeling, safety gloves and safety goggles, there would be a lot more healthy retirees able to better enjoy their retirement.

The cost to the world for these avoidable injuries is in the billions of dollars in health care costs.

I only started this topic in the interest of raising hearing loss awareness, not to preach.

I hope I have not upset anyone that may be reading this topic.

If you pass this information onto your son or daughter or grand-son or grand-daughter, one person even, they may lead a more safe, comfortable and enjoyable life.

After all, what good is hifi, when you can't hear it, right?

Hi again;

Well I've had the pair of digital hearing aids for about 4 months now and I thought I would write more about my experiences.

At home I rarely wear them at all.

I don't wear them to bed.

Someone phoning me at night, I can usually hear most words spoken to me un-aided.

TV is ok, nothing to write home about anyways.

I wear them out each day now.

At a recent movie I tried an experiment.

I watched the movie for a while, then I disconnected the batteries.

That is where the dramatic difference shows up.

Without the A - B, I would not realize the missing and I mean a lot of missing information, noises, hissing, etc.

Hopefully you are covered by your Workers Compensation.

Batteries only last about 2 - 3 days.

I'll sum up my feelings about them briefly now.

My no-name batteries only last about 2 - 3 days for mine at least.

If you have the opportunity to try, without any charge, one or a pair, go for it, it will open up a whole and missed world for you.

I promise.

Vern

[dynaco_dan]

Hi again;

Well I've had the pair of digital hearing aids for about 4 months now and I thought I would write more about my experiences.

Well here I am about two years later.

I've used both of the digital hearing aids almost daily now.

When I first turn mine on there is a noticeable change in upper harmonics.

The subtle sounds of the wind blowing, loud crinkling sound of some plastic bags and paper even.

These are not life changing sounds to any great degree but really missed naturally.

When I manually open them up to de-energize them, the whole world falls into a black hole.

I was retested recently and my hearing is about the same, approximately down 6.6 dB from

around 2,000 - 2,500 HZ and up.

Both ears are still approximately equal.

The particular model that was provided for me by our Workers Compensation Board, extend my hearing to

about 6,000 - 8,000 HZ.

I will never have an improved natural hearing capability.

There is more specialized models that will allow for an increase in extending frequency, still not natural and

much more expensive.

And still not to 20,000 Hz.

If you blow your speaker fuses all the time you are listening at way too loud of a listening level.

Everytime you heat the tweeters voice coil up, it fries the insulation just a little bit more each time.

Eventually the tweeter dies a painful, screeching death.

The damage being done is cumulative and is never self healing.

My point here is your hearing is exactly the same way.

A low level hum for a few minutes may not be short term damaging.

A longer time span of an office air conditioner can do irrepairable damage.

A high level transient at a front row rock concert can cause permanent hearing damage.

Even the constant drone of a nearby computer power supply fan noise can, over a long period

of time do hearing damage.

If the opportunity to test drive a set of decent hearing aids comes your way, for free, go for it.

A great test is to go out into traffic, stay on the sidewalk, silly.

Listen to the traffic noise for a few minutes, then turn them off or remove them entirely.

This is the most dramatic test, when you see what you cannot hear, then you will realize what I am writing about.

When I came home that first day with the new hearing aids, I was puttering around in my computer room and accidently crinkled some paper.

I cried for a few minutes, because, I realized then, that there were sounds, good and bad, that I missed for many years.

[dynaco_dan]

Hi again

Just to add another life experience I will never forget, soon.

My oldest daughter treated me to a River Rock concert, a Sheena Easton stage show here in Richmond for a past birthday present.

I put new batteries in my aids so that I would not miss anything.

I've had crush on her ever since I first heard her sing, like so many other singers and actresses, etc.

She had a backup band and backup singer.

For those unfamiliar with that name, she sang the title song in the James Bond movie, "For Your Eyes Only".

As the show progressed, I commented to my daughter that Sheena Easton's voice doesn't go very high any more.

The band instruments don't as well.

This is with my hearing aids at their maximum amplification.

For those of you that attend live performances, you will appreciate what sounds I am missing.

Turn down your volume and enjoy your music.

At least my eyes allowed me to see her beauty.

[dynaco_dan]

Hi there

An interesting day was Tuesday.

I was sitting at my bus stop and could hear and feel a car stereo blasting away in a moving car a few blocks away.

Another hearing loss victim, I presume.

As I was riding an escalator up from our, Burrard Street Skytrain Station, I thought I was hearing a busker playing a guitar at the top level, about 100 feet higher up.

I started humming the song from, Candy Dulfer's cd, Saxuality, when there is a solo guitar leadin.

It is almost embarassing to admit this but as the ride was more than half way up the sound started to become a saxaphone, it was.

An audible illusion?

This was without my hearing aids.

I'll be eligible for a better quality pair of hearing aids in November.

I will try to see what level I can hear with them on.

Presently I have -6.5dB loss after about 2 - 2,500 HZ, I've lot's of tweeters for sale. LOL

WCB only wants me to hear voice, not hifi.

Apparently my present pair only respond to about 7 - 10,000 HZ, but I don't know at what volume level,.

[jessearias]

I am in the same boat with you Dan. I had my eardrums blown out in a VBIED explosion in Iraq and my hearing is bordering hearing aids. Is it any wonder my girfriend always tells me to turn down the music (no chance) or the TV. I love playing with speakers and tweaking them but like you, cannot really dissern the finite sounds. (i think I can, but not exactly) Oh well, it will not stop me from enjoying one of my favorite things in life. Time to go back and turn up the music.