If you're young and are lucky enough to not have tinnitus, here are the pros and cons of a lifetime of good audio hygiene. I'm old and retired and don't have it. My ears are incredibly important: would much rather be deaf than blind.
I love loud music right down to my core, but when I was in my early 20s it was already clear that many of my musical heroes were going deaf. The general rule is not to listen to anything in your headphones so loud that you can't detect conversation nearby. Another principle is if people can your music on headphones from more than a yard or two away, it's too loud.
So what it cost me was not cranking up my favorite music when listening. I grew accustomed a much lower volume than I enjoy. It wasn't hard, like getting used to decaf coffee or Diet Coke over sugary Coke. I go to a few concerts a year and don't ear earplugs.
Overall it's been very worth it and the cost has been minimal.
I suspect you might still have to keep training your ears though.
I mean instead of sitting in silence, use your ears to hear conversations, to locate things in space, to discern things.
A friend had ear problems, and he delayed getting a hearing aid for years. He said he lost the ability to discern conversations because he put things off too long.
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If you're young and are lucky enough to not have tinnitus, here are the pros and cons of a lifetime of good audio hygiene. I'm old and retired and don't have it. My ears are incredibly important: would much rather be deaf than blind.
I love loud music right down to my core, but when I was in my early 20s it was already clear that many of my musical heroes were going deaf. The general rule is not to listen to anything in your headphones so loud that you can't detect conversation nearby. Another principle is if people can your music on headphones from more than a yard or two away, it's too loud.
So what it cost me was not cranking up my favorite music when listening. I grew accustomed a much lower volume than I enjoy. It wasn't hard, like getting used to decaf coffee or Diet Coke over sugary Coke. I go to a few concerts a year and don't ear earplugs.
Overall it's been very worth it and the cost has been minimal.
I suspect you might still have to keep training your ears though.
I mean instead of sitting in silence, use your ears to hear conversations, to locate things in space, to discern things.
A friend had ear problems, and he delayed getting a hearing aid for years. He said he lost the ability to discern conversations because he put things off too long.
Bizarre but I guess predictable you need something like physical therapy for your hearing