What type of headphones is best for protecting my hearing?
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Some key points about quality hearing protection:
- All quality hearing protection should protect your hearing by “attenuating” the sound. The word attenuate is used to describe the level of sound reduction provided.
- To protect your hearing, your hearing protection must provide enough attenuation (measured in decibels). Attenuation is sometimes expressed as a single simplified noise-level reduction (SNR) figure.
- Sound is made up of different frequencies and most hearing protectors will attenuate at a different level for each of these frequencies. These levels vary between manufacturers, so you should check the packaging to see what protection they provide.
- Most hearing protectors give greater attenuation at the higher frequencies (4-8 kHz) than at the lower frequencies, and it is these higher frequency sounds that are potentially more damaging to your hearing. However sound levels and exposure time are the main parameters and frequency adds only a very small percentage to the risk.
- Remember that in real situations, the attenuation is probably less than that measured by the manufacturer, as they will have tested brand new hearing protectors that fit well, and their tests will have been done in ideal circumstances.
What are In-ear-monitors?
In-Ear-Monitors are custom moulded and personalised earphones utilizing miniature balanced armature transducer technology to deliver the ultimate in sound quality.
Their tiny magnetic receivers offer high resistance to mechanical shock and deliver smooth responses with very low distortion levels.
When connecting to In-Ear Monitoring equipment, MP3, HIFI and most other communication systems, these monitors reduce the ambient sound environment by approximately 26dB. This reduction of the ambient sound allows for a much lower and safer listening volume from the audio source, whilst at the same time delivering a superbly detailed sound reproduction.
In-ear-monitors are primarily used by performing musicians for live stage use and their sound engineers for noise reduction as well as for mixing. In-ear-monitors are also used by sound engineers and artists in the studio for recording.
Why do bands need In-ear-monitors at all?
Until the advent of stadium rock, a live performance in any venue that required amplification used a public address system (or PA) that consisted of a series of microphones and loudspeakers, and a mixing board. The first stadium performance of note occurred in August 1965 when, at the height of Beatlemania, the Beatles played Shea Stadium. The performance was notable for being the first concert at a major sports stadium, for drawing the largest attendance (55,600) to ever see a live concert, and by the fact that the noise from the crowd was so loud that no one in the band could hear the music they were playing.
As a result of the Beatles experience, bands began placing speakers (or wedge monitors) around the stage. For band members to hear what they and their band members were playing during loud performances, wedge monitors were a big improvement.
But wedge monitors present certain problems such as that they do not move with band members who often want to move around on stage, and they are not acoustically optimised, they just add to the total volume of sound from the crowd, the other musicians and the PA system.
Some key points about custom moulded In-Ear-Monitors:
- In-Ear-Monitors are custom moulded and personalised earphones utilizing miniature balanced armature transducer technology to deliver the ultimate in sound quality.
- Superb sound quality with low distortion and smooth responses
- Reduction of ambient sound by approximately 26dB resulting in a much lower and safer listening volume from the audio source.
- Unlike wedge monitors, custom moulded In-Ear-Monitors not only deliver a mix and a superbly detailed sound reproduction directly to your ears, but they also go wherever you want to go on stage
- Custom moulded In-Ear-Monitors are available in different colours and some suppliers also offer in addition artwork, jewellery or your name laser engraved to further personalise them.
Perhaps the most significant benefit from custom moulded In-ear-monitors is the help they provide by protecting the hearing of the musicians. The use of monitor speakers which have to compete with drums and assorted amplified instruments can lead to ear-splitting volume levels on stage, so the use of custom In-Ear-Monitors allows for monitoring at a much lower volume level which can help lowering the risk of sustaining irreversible hearing damage.
From a performance standpoint, singers often find that they have fewer pitch problems and have to strain less to hear their own voice when using In-ear-monitors. This reduces vocal fatigue. It provides them also with the freedom to roam the stage while still hearing their own custom-designed mix.
Jeremy Redmore (lead vocal) - Midnight Youth comments:
"My live vocal performance has improved incredibly since using Ultimate Ears In-ear-monitors at every show. I could not imagine having to rely only on stage monitors ever again!"
Below is some relevant information about the products we fit:
- Most of the products we fit are custom-made and moulded to your ears to provide a comfortable fit, a perfect sound seal and safer listening.
- We offer custom-made In-ear Monitors which are moulded to your ears and provide a comfortable fit and perfect sound isolating seal while allowing for a much lower volume level and a safer listening experience.
- As an alternative to custom-made In-Ear-Monitors, we also offer custom-moulded earplugs which attach to standard In-Ear Monitors or earphones made by companies like Shure, Ultimate Ears, Sennheiser, Sony, Etymotic Research and others, should you have already purchased a set of these.
- In order to supply any of the above products, we will need to take impressions of your ears - this only takes a few minutes and can be carried out during your first appointment with us.
(Images courtesy of Acoustix Hearing, Midnight Youth & Logitech)
