It's not cool when you can't he ar
It's no secret that today's society exposes us all to a lot of noise.
Exposure to excessively loud levels of noise can't always be avoided,
but we can do things to prevent damage to our ears. Recent studies have
shown an increased incidence of hearing loss among grade school students
and musicians. At work and home we can be subject to levels of noise that
threaten our hearing. Power tools, factory noises, fireworks, and of course
loud music, are all potential sources of noise that can cause irreversible
inner ear damage.
At first, the hearing loss may only be temporary, with hearing returning
to normal after several hours or days. But, if exposure occurs repeatedly
the ears will eventually lose their ability to bounce back, resulting
in permanent hearing degeneration.
Safe Sound
Many people don't think twice about getting their eyes examined on a
regular basis, readily purchasing glasses or contact lenses if necessary,
and yet neglecting to take care of their ears. While hearing loss might
not be as noticeable as sight degeneration in the earliest stages, the
long-term damage can be more severe if left unchecked. What's more, many
people don't realize that their increasing communication problems are
caused by their own inability to clearly understand others, leading to
misdirected irritability, anger and frustration.
One way to reduce hearing damage is by paying attention to
noise levels and realizing when they are too high. According
to the United States Safety and Health Standards, workers
should not be exposed to more than 90 dB over a period of
eight hours. Most audiologists would like to see that standard
modified to 85 dB. If you work in a noisy environment, check
out the decibel level you are being exposed to and take the
proper precautions. Have your hearing evaluated at least once
a year by a hearing health professional. Turn down the volume,
or remove yourself from the noise area when possible. Give
your ears a rest for 24 hours after exposure to dangerous
levels of noise, and get yourself some
hearing protection.
A variety of ear protection devices are available today.
Over-the-counter earplugs can be purchased at most drugstores
and shooting supply stores. They range from foam variety to
rubber, silicone, and wax. They're all affordable, comfortable,
disposable, and provide important help in reducing the dangers
of exposure to excessive levels of noise.
The problem with conventional earplugs
1. Existing earplugs attenuate more than necessary for much of the noise
in industry and the environment.
2. Regardless of their exact construction, existing earplugs
produce 10 to 20 dB of high frequency attenuation and the
result is that people often reject them because they can't
hear speech clearly.
3. Conventional earplugs make the wearer's own voice sound
hollow (known as the occlusion effect).
4. Many people risk their hearing by either wearing earplugs
loosely or wearing no protection at all so they will be able
to hear voices, machinery or music more clearly.
Custom fit earplugs, worn by many musicians, are made
from an impression of the ear canal taken by an audiologist
or other hearing health professionals. The impression is then
sent to a lab where the final earmold is made. Custom earplugs
are comfortable, easy to insert correctly, and filter sound
better than disposable plugs. The ER-15 and ER-25 models are
popular with musicians because of a special filter that lets
the listener hear music at a safe level without sacrificing
quality. Instead of cutting out the high frequencies, musician's
plugs attenuate all the frequencies evenly in relation to
your hearing. For an audiology appointment near you check
out the H.E.A.R.
Partners page.
Musician's earplugs are not intended for maximum attenuation. For that
application, conventional foam or fully sealed premolded hearing protectors
or ear muffs are recommended.
Finally, cotton and tissue are useless. They only reduce sound by less
than 7 dB.
There's some type of ear protection for everyone. Just decide what you
want, what's best for you, and go get it. No more problems, no more worries.
Just good music.
Musician's Plugs--Who Needs Them?
There are two types of people who could benefit from Musician's
Ear plugs. The first group are those exposed to 90-120 dB sound levels
for various time periods and who need to hear accurately. This group includes
musicians, their sound crews, recording engineers, nightclub employees,
and other music industry professionals. The second group consists of people
outside the music industry, including loud-music listeners, persons with
tinnitus or hyperacusis, spectators at sporting events, some construction
workers, motorcycle drivers, and regular airline or auto travelers. These
people often have high-frequency hearing loss but refuse to wear conventional
hearing protection because they need to hear more clearly.
With Musician's Plugs, sound quality is clearer and more natural. Musician's
Ear plugs help to reduce fatigue associated with noise exposure.
History of Musicians Earplugs Here is a link that I thought you might like to read about the History of Musicians Earplugs and why they are so incredible for Musicians and Music Listeners' hearing while listening to or, performing music.
Free download Musician's earplug brochure
Theory and Design of Flat Response Attenuator
A
flat-response attenuator must have a frequency response that
follows the shape of the natural frequency response of the
open ear, but at a reduced level. Both the Musician's Earplug
ER-9,ER-15 and ER-25 use a diaphragm, similar to a passive
speaker cone, to achieve the desired response curve. To reduce
the occlusion effect, a deep seal of the plug in the second
bend of the ear canal is necessary.
Mack’s Hear Plugs High Fidelity Earplugs use patented technology that replicates the natural response of the ear canal so that sound heard with these earplugs is as clear as the original, just quieter. Mack’s Hear Plugs have nearly the same fidelity as Musicians Earplug® (custom earplugs worn by professional musicians) and are a low-cost alternative. Mack's Hear Plugs use a tuned resonator and aco
Mack's HEAR Plugs - High Fidelity Earplugs (12NRR) :
Shop H.E.A.R
.
Conventional earplugs attenuate too much in the frequency range most
important for speech and necessary for high fidelity sound. Mack’s® Hear
Plugs™ allow the wearer to hear the full range of sound, music and
communication.
WHAT IS THE NRR?
NRR (Noise Reduction Rating) is a single-number estimate of hearing protector attenuation, which is required by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) for all non-custom hearing protectors. Custom hearing protectors (ER-9, 15 and 25) do not carry an NRR rating.
WHY IS THE LABELED NRR OF THE MACK'S HEAR PLUGS ONLY 12 dB?
NRR is computed from laboratory data that are not representative of the values attained in the real world by actual users. The NRR for Mack’s Hear Plugs High Fidelity Earplugs is 12 dB, but actual clinical measurements of properly inserted Mack’s Hear Plugs indicate that these earplugs provide almost equal sound reduction of 20 dB at all frequencies. The majority of eight-hour equivalent noise exposures fall between 85 and 95 dB. Many musicians and industrial workers can be adequately protected with as little as 10 dB of sound reduction. Other earplugs provide too much sound reduction
for many environments.
BONE CONDUCTION AND EAR PLUGS
The bone conduction path is approximately 40 dB done from
the direct ear path. If you put in a 30 dB earplug, the primary
noise path is still through the ear. The noise arriving through
bone conduction is 10 dB below that. This becomes important
when you are wearing double hearing protection, earplugs and
ear muffs. This is common in the military near jet aircraft
where our Servicemen are preparing jet aircraft for launch.
This is frequently at fullpower with noise levels of 148 dBA
at the shoulder.
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