Poster Session #2: UC Ballroom
Using iPods: "If I can hear it, it is too loud!"
Presentation Type
Poster
Faculty Mentor’s Full Name
Al Yonovitz
Faculty Mentor’s Department
Communicative Sciences and Disorders
Abstract / Artist's Statement
Today we live in a society that thrives on technology, especially in listening to music through personal music devices such as iPods. Recently, a major study was published that indicated that one in five adolescents is experiencing noise induced hearing loss from the use of personal music devices. To supplement the studies that have been done on the safest types of earphones/buds to use, the almost common statement that parents often make to their children, “If I can hear it, it is too loud!” was investigated. This research explored the acoustic leakage coming from the different types of earphones under high levels of sound produced in the ear canal. This type of data could then be related to the possible dangerous levels that could be detrimental to a person’s hearing. To explore this concept, an iPod and many different earphones were measured on a specially made mannequin fitted with simulated ears and a type 2 sound level meter microphone at the point of the eardrum. Both pure tones (.5Hz to 8KHz in octaves and a contemporary song were utilized as the source material. Recordings of sound levels were obtained in the ear canal (personal exposure) and at a distance of .5 m from the ear. The direct sound and recorded sound levels were obtained for a two minute period. The data was analyzed, and the predicted results are that the acoustic leakage from different earphones/buds is an accurate way to measure if a personal music device is set at a hazardous level.
Using iPods: "If I can hear it, it is too loud!"
UC Ballroom
Today we live in a society that thrives on technology, especially in listening to music through personal music devices such as iPods. Recently, a major study was published that indicated that one in five adolescents is experiencing noise induced hearing loss from the use of personal music devices. To supplement the studies that have been done on the safest types of earphones/buds to use, the almost common statement that parents often make to their children, “If I can hear it, it is too loud!” was investigated. This research explored the acoustic leakage coming from the different types of earphones under high levels of sound produced in the ear canal. This type of data could then be related to the possible dangerous levels that could be detrimental to a person’s hearing. To explore this concept, an iPod and many different earphones were measured on a specially made mannequin fitted with simulated ears and a type 2 sound level meter microphone at the point of the eardrum. Both pure tones (.5Hz to 8KHz in octaves and a contemporary song were utilized as the source material. Recordings of sound levels were obtained in the ear canal (personal exposure) and at a distance of .5 m from the ear. The direct sound and recorded sound levels were obtained for a two minute period. The data was analyzed, and the predicted results are that the acoustic leakage from different earphones/buds is an accurate way to measure if a personal music device is set at a hazardous level.