Strategies to Hear for a Lifetime: 1. Turn it down

Listening through earphones in noisy places

Soundwave
When we listen through standard earphones or headphones in noisy places, we must turn up the volume to be able to hear over the background noise. This happens when you are riding a bus or subway, walking along streets with lots of traffic, eating in a noisy lunchroom or flying in an airplane.
Scientists have determined that most people need to TURN UP the volume about 10-15 dB to be able to hear their music or podcast easily over the background noise.

Reducing Background Noise: How it Works

Noice cancelling earplugs
To address this problem, special types of earphones or headphones can help reduce the background noise. This means you don’t have to turn up the volume in noisy places and can listen at safer levels.
One way to help “turn it down” is to use “isolating” or “insert” earphones that seal the ear canal.
earbud - poor seal

Earbud does not seal the ear canal and allows background noise into the ear. This then requires the listener to turn the volume up higher.

insert earphone - well sealed

Insert earphone fits the ear like an earplug and blocks the background noise from getting into the ear. This allows the listener to listen at a lower volume level.

Exclamation point Mythbuster

  • young man with headphones

    True or False: “Insert” earphones are more dangerous because the speaker is positioned closer to the eardrum.

    False! Some people used to think that the “insert” or “isolation” earphones were more dangerous because the speaker is positioned closer to the eardrum, but studies have shown that people actually listen at lower volume settings when the earphone fits snuggly and seals well enough to prevent outside noises from being heard as loudly.
    false

1. Turn it Down

Quiz
Previous
Continue