It isn’t until I get into a quiter place that I realise how loud I’ve had it turned up and turn it down again.

I do try and keep the volume as low as possible so as not to do too much damage to my hearing. However, I am beginning to notice some ranges of my hearing are fading. I suspect this is due to rock concerts mainly.

I’d suggest anyone who regularly goes out to loud concerts, or plays in a band where playing loudly is a part of what you do, invest in a pair of ear plugs.

You can get plugs, I hear (sorry), which block all frequencies equally and so don’t detract from the quality of the sound as much as cheaper ones, which might block certain frequencies more than others.

If anyone has any more idea about these, please say so.

This is correct. The word “insane” may be misleading. Most people will say to themselves, “Well, I don’t listen at insane volumes.” when in fact many of them may be damaging their hearing. Years of playing in Rock-N-Roll bands has damaged mine, that’s for sure.

Apart from the noise pollution, what was it doing to his hearing?

Cheers!

I’m an older rock fan, been that way all my life. It was only after I reached my adult years that I could buy better equipment, be it stereo or whatever.

I’ve also been one that has been around loud noises all my life. Whether it was from woodworking tools and construction, or the military and artillery, or working around turbines, or listening to insanely loud music.

It was only later that I became aware of hearling loss and what it does. Now in the military it wasn’t unusual to have ear plugs and use them. But tell me it does much good around a turbine engine or even a turboprop. Military craft aren’t known for sound deadening. With the artillery, after an hour or two of firing, your eyeballs bulged out from the pressure the earplugs were putting on your internal makeup. You would have to dig the plugs out of your ears because sound pressure from the guns had pushed them in so far.

Mechanicing and operating turbine gas compressors (with the same engines used in helicopters) after 20 years takes its toll, even with ear plugs. Not only turbine but reciprocal engines that are two stories high with catwalks and ladders to reach the cylinders. Cylinders big enough that if they were removed you would have no trouble at all sliding down through to the base of the engine where the crankshaft is. When they run, every thing around them vibrates and the noise levels of the turbocharger are insane.

I’ve had car stereos that could play at volumes where you could feel your guts move to the sound pressure, where a free hanging shirt material would move from the sound pressure inside. It’s a wonder the glass remained inside the vehicle.

Or going to concerts, being right down on the front. For New Years, went to a city party. Live bands on a trailer stage for the crowds. The acoustical preformance was great, but when the next band fired up for their sets, I moved away, blocks away where I could still hear them playing. Up front the shrill high pitched noises were irratating to me.

I no longer hear as I once did as you can gather from the above. Yearly hearing tests showed that most of the higher end frequencies are severely affected. I still hear bass and voice level frequencies but even they are somewhat diminished over the normal hearing of average people.

It matters not the source, earphones, earplug headphones, or just plain loud noises. You hear them at insane levels of loudness, you will pay later without hearing protection. Worse, you won’t even notice it till like me. I find now that if two people are talking, or if the tv is on and some one is talking, I can’t tell who said what.

I’m not bitching about what I’ve heard, much of it voluntary done on purpose. I’m saying if you value your hearing, think about it first. As loosing your hearing is a painless experience for most. You don’t even realise it is happening as it does.

Cheers!