Apple ipod Nano 16GB (5th Generation) has limiter/cap to sound.

[amateur51]

Ah! I'm the opposite! 'Cup'-type headphones make my ears too hot!

"Like a couple of lamb cutlets under there they are"

Anthony Aloysius St Hancock
The Radio Ham

[Beef Oven]

Hello Beef Oven, Are you talking about headphones with a power source to assist the amplification. I use Sennheiser headphones already and with background noise such as a plane for I can bearly hear anything.

No, not necessarily (although I use Bose noise-cancelling on-ear 'phones). I would recommend conventional over-ear cup headphones from, say, Bose. But the real point I made was to try 'phones that have a HIGHER SENSITIVITY rating than the ones you are using now. This will make the music louder and probably clearer too.

[Nick Armstrong]

"Like a couple of lamb cutlets under there they are"
Anthony Aloysius St Hancock
The Radio Ham

Precisely!

[MrGongGong]

Unless you want to get your head round impedance ?
try these



As used by a mate of mine who often mixes extreme volume music

[AmpH]

Hello Beef Oven, Are you talking about headphones with a power source to assist the amplification. I use Sennheiser headphones already and with background noise such as a plane for I can bearly hear anything.

Stanfordian - See attached page from the very good Stoneaudio website which shows the Sennheiser portable, closed back, ' on ear ' headphones which I have used successfully for some time on my frequent railway journeys around the country - they are also avaulable in black. I have found them to offer a good balance of sound quality, comfort, portability ( they partially fold up ) and noise isolation due to the closed back nature of the design and noise cancellation operable by a small switch and for which a small battery is required. The noise cancellation is effective, particularly by excluding much low frequency rumble, but does tend to lead to a slight dulling of the sound balance so is not a panacea for all ills. There are other models in this range which completely enclose the ears, but these are of course bigger, bulkier and more expensive. I haven't used these headphones on planes, but see no reason why they should not be effective.

http://www.stoneaudio.co.uk/?product=sennheiser+pxc+250+%28pxc250%29+white+noise+cancelling+headphones

A good quality and efficient headphone with good isolation should mitigate against low volume issues, but it is down to the individual user of course as to what is satisfactory, so try before you buy is strongly recommended.

[MrGongGong]

A good quality and efficient headphone with good isolation should mitigate against low volume issues, but it is down to the individual user of course as to what is satisfactory, so try before you buy is strongly recommended.

It IS down to the individual.
BUT having met many musicians with seriously damaged hearing (and NOT necessarily those who have played amplified music !) you need to be very very careful of high levels. Break your arm and it will get better, damage your ears and it's for life................. birdsong is a wonderful thing as is heavy metal and the tam tam

[Beef Oven]

Stanfordian - See attached page from the very good Stoneaudio website which shows the Sennheiser portable, closed back, ' on ear ' headphones which I have used successfully for some time on my frequent railway journeys around the country - they are also avaulable in black. I have found them to offer a good balance of sound quality, comfort, portability ( they partially fold up ) and noise isolation due to the closed back nature of the design and noise cancellation operable by a small switch and for which a small battery is required. The noise cancellation is effective, particularly by excluding much low frequency rumble, but does tend to lead to a slight dulling of the sound balance so is not a panacea for all ills. There are other models in this range which completely enclose the ears, but these are of course bigger, bulkier and more expensive. I haven't used these headphones on planes, but see no reason why they should not be effective.

http://www.stoneaudio.co.uk/?product=sennheiser+pxc+250+%28pxc250%29+white+noise+cancelling+headphones

A good quality and efficient headphone with good isolation should mitigate against low volume issues, but it is down to the individual user of course as to what is satisfactory, so try before you buy is strongly recommended.

some sony cans are good too

[amateur51]

It IS down to the individual.
BUT having met many musicians with seriously damaged hearing (and NOT necessarily those who have played amplified music !) you need to be very very careful of high levels. Break your arm and it will get better, damage your ears and it's for life................. birdsong is a wonderful thing as is heavy metal and the tam tam

Wise counsel, MrGG

I 'eard that, pardon?

[Nick Armstrong]

Wise counsel, MrGG

I 'eard that, pardon?

Just gone quarter past two!

[Resurrection Man]

.....
You can only make a choice if you are informed

Yes. They could try reading a newspaper or a book or finding things out rather than whatever it is floats their boat and so abnegating any responsibility for their actions.

people aren't about hearing loss and how you get it .....

Well, I am aware as are many other people who bother to find things out and learn. See first comment.

go the whole hog and liberalise everything if that's your gig
but don't complain when you get food poisoning or worse

Now you are being silly.

should I have the "choice" to play music so loud that my children go deaf ?
I guess you think I should

Strange logic there. If we are talking about an iPod then if you are listening to it then your children can't be. But if they were, as a responsible parent you wouldn't play it loud.

[Don Petter]

Perhaps there should be a limit of just one gong?

[Bryn]

I hear what MrGG is saying (pardon), but would suggest Googling "boostaroo". For 'classical music' listening I too find the dynamic limiter on some personal playback devices too low. However, for the consistent high dynamic levels found in much pop music, it's better to be safe than "sorry, could you speak a little louder, I didn't catch that". Buying a Boostaroo or similar, and using it, is a matter of personal choice.

[MrGongGong]

Yes. They could try reading a newspaper or a book or finding things out rather than whatever it is floats their boat and so abnegating any responsibility for their actions.



Well, I am aware as are many other people who bother to find things out and learn. See first comment.



Now you are being silly.



Strange logic there. If we are talking about an iPod then if you are listening to it then your children can't be. But if they were, as a responsible parent you wouldn't play it loud.

I wasn't being "Silly" hearing loss is very serious indeed
you might think that it's down to your "choice" but as many people are unaware of the dangers then they need protecting

I'm quite fluent in BSL so I guess we wont have a problem communicating in the future .............

[Bryn]

Strange logic there. If we are talking about an iPod then if you are listening to it then your children can't be. But if they were, as a responsible parent you wouldn't play it loud.

It is surely clear enough from the context of this threat that MrGG's concern is for those with little grasp of the damage they may be doing to their future hearing using personal music players at high dynamic levels. The analogy of imposing high ambient sound levels on one's offspring seems fair enough to me. Travelling by public transport will offer plenty of evidence of (mainly young) people listening to pop music at very high 'volume'. Many years ago I used to drum in an experimental 'rock' group, and got to recognise TTS (temporary threshold shift) quite quickly, so stopped that kind of activity. Fortunately, I can now still 'hear a pin drop' (as long as it's a nail type pin, not a a sewing one).

[Stanfordian]

Stanfordian - See attached page from the very good Stoneaudio website which shows the Sennheiser portable, closed back, ' on ear ' headphones which I have used successfully for some time on my frequent railway journeys around the country - they are also avaulable in black. I have found them to offer a good balance of sound quality, comfort, portability ( they partially fold up ) and noise isolation due to the closed back nature of the design and noise cancellation operable by a small switch and for which a small battery is required. The noise cancellation is effective, particularly by excluding much low frequency rumble, but does tend to lead to a slight dulling of the sound balance so is not a panacea for all ills. There are other models in this range which completely enclose the ears, but these are of course bigger, bulkier and more expensive. I haven't used these headphones on planes, but see no reason why they should not be effective.

http://www.stoneaudio.co.uk/?product=sennheiser+pxc+250+%28pxc250%29+white+noise+cancelling+headphones

A good quality and efficient headphone with good isolation should mitigate against low volume issues, but it is down to the individual user of course as to what is satisfactory, so try before you buy is strongly recommended.

Hello AmpH,

I couldn't find any of the Sennheiser PXC 250 that you suggested I try in my nearest HMV at Preston this morning. However I did try some Sennheiser HD 25 II and they sounded OK at reducing background noise. I wonder how the PXC 250 compare to the HD 25 II?