From this Reuters' story that I saw on CNN.com this morning: "The ever-popular earbuds used with many iPods and other MP3 players may be more stylish than the bigger and bulkier earmuff-type headphones, but they may also be more damaging to one's hearing, according to a Northwestern professor."
I've always hated the earbud. I never have been able to keep those in my ear well. They always fall out. That's a great frustration I have with iPods. You pay top price for these beauties but then they ship 'em with these cruddy earbuds rather than proper headphones like Starsky's (here at the left).
Apple should ship iPods with noise-canceling headphones of some sort lest iPod enthusiasts should end up like Pete Townshend. This is a post from his website's diary section yesterday explaining his hearing loss & his concerns for the future what with the popularity of iPods, MP3 players, etc. He observes that, "we use earphones at almost every stage of interaction with sound." And it's really slowing him down in the studio working on new material for the next Who project.
http://reviews.cnet.com/Shure_E4c/4505-7877_7-31429517.html?tag=lst
ReplyDeletepp...ever since i got the new ipod, i've been considering the noise cancelling earphones...it seems if you could block the outside noise, you wouldn't have to crank up the volume so loud. this pair of shure e4c earbuds achieve this without the battery powered white noise generator. one of the complaints that i've seen concerning the bose qc2's are that once the batry runs out, you can't use them. is this true or, more likely, do they just become normal headphones again. in either case, i don't see spending $300 on em. i'd rather put a couple of $3 ear plugs in and go to sleep....lt
LT - Yeah, the $3 ear plugs are starting to sound like a pretty good idea. Not that my hearing isn't important to me, but $300?! Geesh...
ReplyDeleteApparently the Motley Fool is a Who fan as well. The earbud hearing damage stuff is getting a lot of post-xmas publicity.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/fool/20060105/bs_fool_fool/113647360204
I've never tried the noise cancelling headphones, so I should probably withhold comment. But it seems to me that Boeing should make quieter airplanes. N'est pas?
There's no doubt in my mind that the earbuds are ruining my hearing. But the Starsky headphones might be a little much to exercise in (New Year's resolution). However, I'd be willing to try. If only I could invent the perfect pair of headphones. I'd be rich, freakin' rich. Although I suppose someone is already on that given this latest round of rock n' roll controversy. Pablo - I apologize for not visiting the point sooner in 2006. I'm glad to see someone is still posting to their blog....MO
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