Headset Misfortunes

Recently, B A R R Y posted:

On Sun, 03 Feb 2008 11:40:28 GMT, "Neil Gould"
wrote:

If playing rock & roll for almost 50 years hasn't killed my hearing
already, it's highly unlikely that I'm going to suffer auditory
damage from my non-ANR David Clarks. In fact, when wearing them the
SPL is significantly lower than driving in our MGC-GT, which is so
noisy there was no point in having a radio. ;-)

A long time sound mixer asks, do you get regular, objective hearing
tests? I've worked with lots of guys who subjectively state they have
"no hearing damage".

A long time sound recorder (owned two studios, still do recording though
retired from the studio business) answers, "yes", though I have the
equipment and am capable of more precise measurements than those in the
typical audiology exam. Although I have enough age-related "roll-off" in
the high frequencies that the ultrasonic alarm systems in department
stores no longer cause me to walk away holding my head in pain, I can
still hear the carrier frequency oscillation in analog TVs over my
tinitis. ;-)

Hearing hazards are time based. Longer
exposure to lower levels of sound, some of which may not seem all that
loud or bothersome, can do as much damage as a short period in much
louder conditions.

Another aspect is that the ambient level of sound in the city has been
steadily increasing to the point where it's noisier at night today than it
was when this area had an industrial base. Also, the MGC is a lot quieter
than the typical motorcycle or semi. All these things are relative, and
the time spent in the air (much less than I'd like) is vastly outweighed
by these other elements. So, I think I'll be able to ride it out 'til the
"final tally"! ;-)

Neil