How to Safely Choose Headphones 

Posted on by Advanced ENT & Allergy

Young people often spend leisure time listening to unsafe levels of music on their personal devices, creating an emerging public health problem. The amount of time spent on personal devices makes selecting appropriate headphones and volume levels even more important. 

 

What Types of Headphones Exist  

There are two types of headphones: on-ear and over-the-ear. 

  • On-ear headphones sit directly on the ear canal. An example of on-ear headphones would be earbuds. Sound is delivered directly to the ear. 
  • Over-the-ear headphones sit over the entire ear. Hearing specialists tend to prefer this style due to how sound is delivered to the ear. They are often more comfortable for the wearer as well. 

  

What Else Should I Consider?  

When selecting headphones, it’s also important to consider quality. Often, better-quality headphones deliver better sound quality. This will minimize your need to increase the volume, which will protect your hearing over time. 

Noise-cancelling headphones are also ideal because of the benefit of prohibiting distracting background noise. This will allow you to keep listening at a safe volume level. On-ear headphones offer poor noise cancellation and can cause earwax buildup by pushing earwax into the ear canal. This could lead to an unsafe volume increase to accommodate the blockage. Noise-cancelling over-the-ear headphones allow sound to reverberate instead of being delivered directly into the ear canal.  

    

Tips For Headphone Safety  

It’s important to consider safe listening habits with your existing headphones and new ones you may buy. 

Some headphone safety considerations:  

  • Take breaks from your headphones if you’re using them for longer than an hour.  
  • Don’t exceed 60% of your headphones’ volume capacity.  
  • Listen to any technology warnings that your headphones are too loud.  

  

Sometimes, you may not realize if your volume is too high. Irreversible hearing damage can happen over time, but you can still safely enjoy music and games on your personal devices by practicing safe listening habits and selecting the right headphones for yourself. 

   

If you have questions about selecting the best pair of headphones, talk to a hearing specialist at Advanced ENT & Allergy.