Do you protect your hearing?

As a graduate student I worked in a psychoacoustic lab with the charter of research related to noise induced hearing loss, so I became aware of the problem in my early 20s. My masters and doctoral research dealt with auditory processing.

Long-term hearing loss occurs mostly from repeated exposure to high level of sound, but even single gun shots can be damaging. It has been reported that sound levels in rock concerts can cause damage. Avoid unprotected esposure to noise that is loud enough that communication is difficult. Provided a Walkman is not blasting, it probably will not harm your hearing. I find classical guitar music soothing when I undergo dental procedures.

db

Only when I am talking with my wife.

Huh? love the wife line!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My wife says I never listen to her..or something like that... :-)

Donbellphd,

Something I've wondered about for quite a while...assuming you've taken care of your hearing throughout your life(I have), when you get older does your hearing change such that you're more sensitive to sharp noises? This is relavant to this hobby as (if your hearing does change) it'll have a specific impact on how you interpret the relative 'quality' of any particular piece of equipment you buy. It's then normal to focus your interests to equipment that compensates for the change.

An example...I listened to a well known horn-based speaker for years and really enjoyed them. Eventually they seemed to be shouting at me regardless of volume. I couldn't listen to them anymore & sold them. The speakers didn't change..I did. Was the change just a switch in taste or would it have a physical basis? (A high-school friend had the same speakers, had the same experience, and also sold them. He replaced them with a much mellower sounding (non-horn) speaker, as I did. We're both in our late fourties).

A bit off topic, but the other day I was next to a very loud Harley Davidson motorcycle and the driver was wearing ear plugs. Why not just get a quiter exhaust? The rest of us would certainly appreciate it.