'Don't Lose The Music' - DJs & Clubbers Urged To Protect Hearing I think this is quite important... A leading charity for deaf people has today warned thousands of revellers could be putting their hearing at risk at pubs and clubs across the country. The Royal National Institute for the Deaf (RNID) fears changes to licensing laws will mean party-goers over the festive period will be exposed to loud music for longer periods of time and are in danger of causing permanent damage to their hearing. Charity staff polled 1,400 people aged between 16 and 30-years-old and found that 55% visited pubs and bars where they needed to shout to be heard more than once a week, with 75% of these there for up to four hours at a time. The survey showed 44% of young people had experienced ringing in the ears on at least one occasion, and 34% reported ringing or buzzing in the ears on a regular or occasional basis after a night out. The RNID, which works to support nine million deaf and hard of hearing people in the UK, said that in some bar and club venues, music as loud as an aircraft taking off had been recorded. Charity chiefs today said they were concerned that unless people took steps to protect their hearing, many could start 2006 with tinnitus, which causes a permanent ringing or buzzing sensation in the ears, or even hearing loss. The RNID's "Don't Lose the Music" campaign is encouraging people to protect themselves against the effects of loud music.Top tips developed by the charity to protect hearing during the Christmas party season include standing away from loud speakers when in pubs and clubs or at gigs and concerts, taking regular breaks from the dance floor and wearing earplugs specially designed for use in clubs and gigs. For more info visit www.dontlosethemusic.com
I would really hate anything like that to happen I dont go to bars and stuff very often unless I go up to town but go clubbing quite a lot... If I go to the pub its usually wetherspoons where theres no music through the week
Ebay's as good as anywhere mate - they're around a tenner with delivery. Have a look, and if you can't find I'll send you a link to the people I used when I get home The sound quality's very good, and they're pretty comfortable - but you do have little bits of hard plastic sticking out of your ear. Not stupid, but noticable.... Overall, they're the best you can get without custom moulding.
Can you DJ wearing the Elacin ER20's? The 'Don't Lose The Music' website links to the Sensorcom website and the Alpine Music Safe Earplugs look better for DJing. They got a good review in DJ Mag or IDJ last month and are only £13.99. www.sensorcom.com
I don't think they'd be great for DJing, because the plastic bits might touch the inside of your headphones....those look like a better bet because, but if you're djing seriously, get some custom made
I use some DeciGuard AB+....it was £16 for 200 pairs and they are spot on...comfy, not noticible if you put them in right as they go right in your ear, and you can hear people easily, and music sounds great. Its a -28dB reduction from them. Some places are just unnecessarily loud like, theres just no need for the volume you get in some places. My ears ring permanently like
great post this I've just been told I have a perforated eardrum (due to an ear infection) - obviously being a DJ this was pretty scary news. As soon as it's better, I'm getting some custom moulded earplugs - the Elacin ones I believe it's the ER-15s that are £15 - the ones I'm going to get are ER-20s and they are £150 (and before anyone states their incredulity ask yourself this - how highly do you value your hearing?) - also bear in mind I'll be mainly using them for DJing - many top DJs (such as Digweed, Sasha, Oakenfold) swear by them Elacin affiliated outlets in Newcastle include: Hidden Hearing (6 Nun St) David Ormerod Hearing Centre (Boots, Eldon Square) basically they put a bit of cotton wool into your ear, then pour in some gunk that hardens to the shape of your ear canals - they then send this away to Elacin (near Luton I think) who use it to make custom fitted earplugs well worth it IMO - will report back as to their effectiveness
I think I should get some in the New Year but £150 is still a bit steep for me. Think I'm gonna get some of the cheaper ones first to see what it's like for DJing but definitely think it's worth getting some kind of protection. Can think of nothing worse than losing my hearing although my lass already thinks I'm going deaf... but maybe that's just 'selective hearing' that all men have!
