Dubstepforum.com

UFO over easy wrote:On the plus side, dubstep's generally quite kind to ears!

Truth. I've felt like I've been physically assaulted after d&b nights with bad sound once or twice.

rock gigs are the worst

UFO over easy wrote:I have ER9s, should've really got 15s..

I was under the impression that you can change the filters in moulded plugs?

elgato wrote:do you think things like the hd25s are very dangerous then? given how tightly they fit around your ears?

they're not intrinsically dangerous no, its how you use them.

a tight fit(and a sealed back design) is essential for dj'ing expressly so you don't have to turn them up ridiculously loud to hear them. i tried using my hd580's (open backed) in a gig once and really regretted it. the volume i had to have them on to hear anything was deafening... literally.

but the thing is headphones can generate obscene sound pressure levels with very little effort, and quality ones like hd25's go very very very loud. if you play them or any phones at loud volumes youre asking for WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

another thing that's on a par with headphones on too loud for fucking your ears up is people having to yell directly into your ear cos you can't hear them. With the earplugs I use now most people don't really need to even raise their voice. If I have to chat with someone without earplugs I'll make sure we're somewhere quieter so I don't have to yell into their earhole.

if you're really worried about your headphones damaging your ears (and rightly so), you could look at the Shure E series in-ear phones. They come with a variety of attachments (think you can even pay for moulded versions), most of which help to exclude a great deal of ambient noise - allowing you to keep the volume in your ears down at a much safer level.

yep thinking, you can change the filters in moulded plugs, but it's costly. About 60 quid I think?

UFO over easy wrote:yep thinking, you can change the filters in moulded plugs, but it's costly. About 60 quid I think?

just did a quick google - £40 from UK or $40 + p&p from the US. Didn't realise they were that expensivo.

Batfink wrote:but the thing is headphones can generate obscene sound pressure levels with very little effort, and quality ones like hd25's go very very very loud.

this is the thing... there is a difficulty in that closed back = less external noise, but it also = higher pressure (presumably), so while for djing the hd25s are excellent, perhaps for generaly use on public transport and suchlike they might not be? its difficult. i guess just moderating volume is the key, and closed back will help to do this

elgato wrote:

Batfink wrote:but the thing is headphones can generate obscene sound pressure levels with very little effort, and quality ones like hd25's go very very very loud.

this is the thing... there is a difficulty in that closed back = less external noise, but it also = higher pressure (presumably), so while for djing the hd25s are excellent, perhaps for generaly use on public transport and suchlike they might not be? its difficult. i guess just moderating volume is the key, and closed back will help to do this

put simply, closed-back is best for listening in places with intrusive background noise, open is best for really quiet environments where sound quality is the key concern.

One of my ears is getting worse... I'm really afraid of seeing a doc but I can't avoid it any longer:(

btw this topic got some useful information, ppl should be more cautious about their ears... protect your ears so you won't turn out to be a depressed half-deaf idiot like me!

basically got full on tinnitus now - not that loud, but still, it's constant. and that's with wearing plugs since around august/september 2006. bizarro.

even though i think its important to protect your ears its also important not to get too hung up on tinnitus.

the more you think about it, the more you focus on it and the louder it gets, especially if you're obsessively worried about it meaning you can't listen to music/go out anymore!

everyone experiences some ringing/buzzing in their ears, not everyone is bothered by it. this was proved by research into the psychosomatic element to tinnitus

http://www.tinnitus.org/home/frame/tin2a.htm

so yeah, protect your ears but don't get too obsessed about it either cos you can end up making it far worse..

Yeah Tinnitus scared the shit out of me for the first year or so on a regular basis... now, 2 and half years later, it still bothers me a bit but it dont really disturb me like it used to. Very psychological.

I wear 25db plugs to go raving, 15db ones if i'm goin somewhere less loud.

If it stays at the level its at I can deal with it...

I've known someone who had a nervous breakdown from tinnitus, she could hear it above noisy traffic, and fucked up her balance aswell.

Look after your ears!

ramadanman wrote:i dont have ringing all the time, only for a bit after the exposure - wake up with no ringing generally. i thought tinnitus was when it was pretty much constant ringing?

anytime you hear ringing, you have done damage, sad to say.
but good on ya wearin' ear plugs. i pretty much do not go out without them anymore cuz i value my ears WAY too much.

elgato wrote:

-BLADE- wrote:silence can become very loud.

thats a deep and chilling sentence

truly.

I suffer from full-on, constant tinnitus and it's a nightmare to be honest..

Im only 18 aswell, with about 2 years worth of raving experience.

Makes sleeping difficult too, usually have to sleep with a TV on low to drain out the ringing/buzzing/swooshing going on in my ears.

Absolute piss-take! never experience silence again. Definitely going to invest in some ear plugs...

this thread def got the ball rolling, time to invest! but for starters going to go for the cheaper option. any suggestions which ones?? ive seen some say vented or unvented, any insight on the diff would be appreciated.

I've got ear plugs and its one of my best investments.

The audiologist told me that over the last 3 years her business had tripled with people coming in for tests and getting moulds done for their custom ear plugs. She blames people playing their I-pods too loudly and people going to loud clubs with no ear protection.

She told me that the worst thing you can do is go to a club with no ear plugs and then go home and listen to music on headphones. She recommends a 12 hour period of listening to no music once you stepped out the club.

smudge wrote:
She told me that the worst thing you can do is go to a club with no ear plugs and then go home and listen to music on headphones.

I don't understand how people can do that. Sometimes I listen to music on the way to an event or something if I'm going by myself, but even with my plugs in all night, I can't bring myself to listen to anything on the way home - it's just too much.

elgato wrote:

Batfink wrote:but the thing is headphones can generate obscene sound pressure levels with very little effort, and quality ones like hd25's go very very very loud.

this is the thing... there is a difficulty in that closed back = less external noise, but it also = higher pressure (presumably), so while for djing the hd25s are excellent, perhaps for generally use on public transport and suchlike they might not be? its difficult. i guess just moderating volume is the key, and closed back will help to do this

i use mine on the bus all the time and they are fine. they are dead noisy if u take them of yr head, but the seal against the skin cuts it off. i don't think i have even annoyed anyone, and i always check.