We hear a growing chorus of warnings about listening to music at volume levels that are dangerous to your hearing, and with over 20 million MP3 players in use today, the danger is growing at a staggering rate. Any ear bud, earphone or headphone, whether connected to a CD player, iPod, MP3 player, XM radio, Motorcycle intercom, NASCAR Scanner, Walkman, or conventional stereo can deliver a dangerously loud volume and you may not even know you are suffering permanent hearing damage until it is too late.
| Do You Need
Isolation Earphones to Go With Your Mack's EarSaver?
When you connect a set of Isolation Earphones
into an EarSaver and the EarSaver into your iPod or other music source, your
hearing is protected both from ambient noise and from excessive volume
coming from your player. Most modern in-ear earphones will work fine as long
as you use foam tips. (Note: earphones with higher than 32 ohm impedance may
not be sufficiently limited for safety. Be smart: if it seems too loud, turn
it down!)
If you are in an OSHA regulated environment,
however, your earphones will need to be rated for their noise blocking
capabilities. The following earphones have an NRR rating:
Many safety officers
now require the use of internally limited headsets or the use of an external
volume limiter such as EarSaver, which prevents over exposure to music from
players when used with a 32 ohm headset (our RaceQuiet is a 32 ohm headset).
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Mack's EarSaver is a product that is simple and effective
in addressing the problem of music that is too loud to be safe. This device is
simply plugged in between the music source and your earphones. Just connect the EarSaver
to your iPod, CD player, or any other music source, and then plug your earphones into the EarSaver. That is all there is to it. With the EarSaver installed between the music source and the earphones, the volume will be automatically reduced by approximately 18 dB with minimal effect on the sound quality.
The typical earbuds, earphones and headphones available today will produce over 100 dB of volume at the eardrum. OSHA standards suggest that exposure to over 85 dB can result in permanent hearing loss, depending on the combination of decibel level and duration of the exposure. The louder the sound, the less time it takes to suffer damage. With EarSaver, you can protect your employees from hearing damage, and still let them safely wear their earphones on the job. With EarSaver, you can protect your children from hearing damage they may otherwise suffer from playing their music too loudly.
The 18dB volume reduction you get with EarSaver assumes 32 ohm earphones and is usually just the right amount of volume limitation, letting you hear your music clearly and completely, but at a safe level. Earphones with higher impedance, when used with EarSaver will produce less volume reduction and may, as a result, not give you adequate protection.
EarSaver is recommended for use by:
- Parents concerned about their children listening to overly loud music through earphones connected to ipods, cell phones, and other music sources.
- Gamers concerned about hearing damage they can sustain from long sessions when the action gets hot with everyone yelling, and it is easy to forget to turn down the volume.
- Care providers who are in charge of disabled persons who may not understand when their music is too loud to be safe.
- School and test center administrators who are concerned by the potential for hearing damage to students using headphones in listening labs.
- Daycare administrators and teachers who are concerned about the potential for hearing damage to their charges when the kids use headphones.
- Safety coordinators who are responsible for protecting their worker's hearing, and who must balance workplace morale against workplace safety. Workers want music, but regular listening can damage hearing, especially in a noisy environment.
- Anyone who uses a scanner or portable radio that can produce excessive volume unexpectedly.
- Airplane travelers who find the airplane music system cannot be turned down to a comfortable level.
- Anyone who suffers from hyperacusis and needs to limit maximum volume to avoid the pain of overly loud sound from headsets and earphones.
EarSaver Features:
- Standard 3.5mm stereo miniplug to fit most portable players.
- Standard 3.5mm stereo minijack to fit most earbuds, earphones and headphones. No adapter needed.
- Flexible 4mm diameter cable, 5.5" overall length.
- No moving parts and no batteries required.
See Manufacturer's Information Sheet
See Also:
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