Is There Such a Thing as "Good Earbuds"?

[Amelia]

So, I've joined a gym ... A very quiet gym! And I'm dying to listen to come music while I work out, but obviously like everyone else here I'm paranoid about using headphones/earbuds.

Now, while I never listen LOUDLY, I'm wondering if there are now products what help protect your hearing? Or maybe I should invest in some kiddy headphones which have a db limit?

 

[Atlantis]

So, I've joined a gym ... A very quiet gym! And I'm dying to listen to come music while I work out, but obviously like everyone else here I'm paranoid about using headphones/earbuds.

Now, while I never listen LOUDLY, I'm wondering if there are now products what help protect your hearing? Or maybe I should invest in some kiddy headphones which have a db limit?

You don't need db limiting...

Buy these:
http://www.amazon.com/Shure-SE215-K-Isolating-Earphones-Isolation/dp/B00FYZSTVS/

Or similar isolating earphones. They block the external soundscape and you can keep the volume low enough not to cause any damage.

 

[eldudebro]

This is a good question.

I've been using my earbuds at the gym too. My iphone has an inbuilt volume output limit setting on it, and I have set it way down. Even on the loudest setting now I can barely hear it when the gym is busy, so I have no worries that it's too loud.

Still, I'd be interested to know if there are any "safer" options.

 

[Sound Wave]

I wouldn't worry about the volume suddenly increasing. If for some reason that would happen, you could pull the earbuds away in a second.

You should experiment with different earbuds that suit you. But do buy quality ones, because then you can listen them with less volume and they still sound great. Shures are great, but they didn't fit in my ear well. I found that Bose's new earbud design is by far the most comfortable I have tried. You could for example try these sport models. Noise cancelling ones are excellent, but they can cause nausea for some people and us with T... I wouldn't risk that. In fact I bought those noise cancelling ones and got the nausea, so I sold them away and got the normal ones instead.

http://www.bose.com/controller?url=/shop_online/headphones/in_ear_headphones/index.jsp&nav=fit

 

[Amelia]

Thanks guys!
@Sound Wave - I have heard that about noise cancelling headphones - I'm pretty sensitive to that sort of stuff so I'll try and avoid them.

Prior to T I used the earbuds that came with my iphone but it's probably worth investing in some better quality ones.

(And just for reference I do not believe my T was caused by noise exposure)

 

[Sound Wave]

Definetly get quality ones. In fact, if you can afford it, go and get custom molded earbuds that fit your ear perfectly. They cost you about $1000 but many who are into music say they are one of the best investments they have ever made.

 

[yonkapin]

Get a decent pair of headphones and just listen to music at a reasonable dB level and you'll be fine. Depending on what you use, you can probably set a volume limit. Pretty sure my iPod Nano had this feature, wouldn't be too hard to find an app or option that does the same thing on any smartphone.