This article is proudly sponsored by Audeara.
In 2010, an Australian study linked the use of personal listening devices with a 70 percent increase to hearing loss in children. That’s a huge increase, and it’s a risk that’s largely being ignored around the world.
Gaming or listening to music for as little as half an hour with your volume above 85 decibels can start to cause scar tissue development in your ear. For most headphones that is a measly 80 percent of volume. So while you may be able to hear those footsteps a little bit better for those few seconds, overall you’re doing more damage than good, and your headphones can only go so loud before you start to damage your ears—or worse, start losing your hearing.
Just how much of a difference is this making to us? Most teenagers these days are plugged in, whether it be gaming or music. The number of twelve to nineteen-year-olds with hearing loss has increased to 19.5 percent compared to 15 percent in the ’80s and ’90s, before personal listening devices and gaming took off.
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Change your system master volume
This means when you get frustrated and turn your headphones up, it won’t be able to go as loud, and you are far less likely to go back into your system settings to bring it back up again in the heat of battle. This will also protect you when you inevitably forget to turn it back down again.
Alternate between headphone use and speaker use
This is especially frustrating with surround sound but makes a world of difference to the impact on your hearing. Be careful though, your neighbors don’t need to hear your games, and if they can, then it is defeating the purpose. Invest in a quality set of speakers that can create the environment you need.
Never exceed more than 85 percent volume
The exact volume for specific devices varies greatly. If you’re having trouble hearing particular sounds, see if those sounds can be adjusted in the game. Alternatively, get a hearing test done and make adjustments to your audio settings based on your audio profile (something Audeara headphones do for you).
Just making these small adjustments can put you a step ahead of your opponents in the long term. Audeara is working hard to develop a gaming headset that can set up a profile specific to your needs.
If you would like to help out with this process (and score some excellent product in the meantime), then head on over to this sign-up form and register to become an official product tester. You can start shaping the future of audio and gaming today.
