+1. Sometimes I and others use earplugs when swimming (although there are other reasons one might do so too). In fact, with each stroke you have your ears blasted, esp, just one of them in some strokes. Which leads to obvious epidemiological research (of the sort that ought to be conducted with Florida Harley-Davidson riders).
But I still am not sure if there is any meaning in relating the loudness curve to damage susceptibility curve. I see no necessary physiological connection.
Ben
A 20dB reduction is a power reduction of 1: 100 so is very significant.
An old friend of mine who is in the PA business always wore his earplugs at gigs.
Recently He has mixed front of house on tour for Vampire Weekend. Preserve your hearing and who knows were it might take you!
An old friend of mine who is in the PA business always wore his earplugs at gigs.
Recently He has mixed front of house on tour for Vampire Weekend. Preserve your hearing and who knows were it might take you!
Yes, 20 dB is pretty hefty. So-called "musician's" earplugs are really just weak blocks - they DO have to hear.
Instead of looking at the OSHA standards, might be a different kettle of fish in PA work with LOUD bands. An SPL meter might not be too helpful.
The ear is quite lousy at telling just what frequencies are emphasized and with loud bands, there might be truly devastating narrow-band distortion from certain loudspeakers. Further, a very high dBA rating might be reflecting truly enormous one-note bass loudness (which might not be too harmful), despite the dBA curve discriminating against low notes.
Please have a look at the other damage thread:
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/subwoofers/219105-damage-loud-bass-new-post.html
Ben
I have had a pair of ear plugs similar to the ER-20s since I was about 22 and love them. I have actually noticed that they not only protect my ears and allow me to have real conversations but they make shows more enjoyable. They are more enjoyable for me because I still get the feel of the loud music but I can actually hear each instrument much better. They seem to cut the reflected sound down more then the direct sound. Even better, ear plugs have become prevalent enough in clubs and concerts that I don't feel silly wearing them anymore. Not that anyone ever actually cared before.
In emergencies, I just stuff some wet toilet paper in my ears.
Loud music gives me Tinitus for months afterwards. Not worth the risk.
I also use some Sony noise cancelling IE's for flying.
Loud music gives me Tinitus for months afterwards. Not worth the risk.
I also use some Sony noise cancelling IE's for flying.
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