Are headphones destroying our hearing?

Here’s how to protect your ears.
This video is presented by BetterHelp. Head to betterhelp.com/... for 10% off your first month. BetterHelp doesn’t have a say in our editorial decisions, but they make videos like this possible.
Support our work. Become a Vox Member today: www.vox.com/mem...
I wear headphones every day. And if I’m at work, I have those bad boys on for nearly 8 hours straight. In a perfect world, I’m listening at a reasonable volume…but in reality it’s hard to know if that’s true. So when does loud become too loud?
The answer is: it’s really hard to tell.
According to the WHO, over a billion young adults are at risk of permanent, avoidable hearing loss due to unsafe listening practice.
While that sounds like a bunch of old people trying to suppress us young people from listening to our rock and roll the way we like it, it’s a scary statistic. It’s even scarier when you know that hearing loss is almost always permanent. So, what’s the best way to listen with headphones, and not lose our hearing? And how can noise cancellation help us out?
Links/further reading:
- The Verge | How to set volume levels on your phone: www.theverge.c...
- WHO | Deafness and Hearing Loss - www.who.int/ne...
- National Library of Medicine | Mechanisms of hair cell damage and repair - Mechanisms of hair cell damage and repair
- OSHA | Loudness standards in the workplace - www.osha.gov/n...)
- Bose | How does noise cancelling work? - www.bose.com/s...
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[@VarunSarathy]

DON'T USE BETTERHELP

[@nikpan9744]

Why so?

[@desmond-hawkins]

@@nikpan9744 BetterHelp *sold sensitive user data* to third parties like Facebook and SnapChat, after they had promised it would remain confidential. They were fined for this. Think about all the kinds of things you could talk about with your therapist, that kind of data. They also had *zero* validation of the credentials their "therapists" had early on, and their terms of service said it was the responsibility of the customer to do this if needed. So you could be talking to some random unqualified person about your most personal issues. Don't take my word for it, look up "betterhelp fined" and "betterhelp credentials" online to read about it.

[@nikyabodigital]

​@@nikpan9744they have been here since the old age of youtube they are in a massive scandal from way back, look it up. In summary what these people say is they are making money out of depression and that they are not genuine, atleast that's the narrative before feel free to search on your own.

[@LucianBowden]

​@@nikpan9744 they sold the conversations with there clients.

[@samstromberg5593]

@@nikpan9744 Dude SO many reasons )Therapy in most situations doesn’t actually help much but is outrageously expensive )BetterHelp is even LESS help because a lot of their therapists are over scheduled and uncertified (though, knowing the training therapists receive, this may actually be a plus) )Despite NUMEROUS insistences to the contrary, they sell your data. And not your location, phone number, email, whatever, like other companies do. No, they sell your mental health status. If I’m depressed and go to them (which is a bad idea to begin with), they’ll tell other advertisers that I’m depressed and those other advertisers will know that I’m not susceptible to buy certain things - usually things that are actively scams and don’t work

[@highonkola6142]

didnt better help sell their patience data to advertisers?

[@Grrranola]

And the vast majority of their counsellors are overworked & underpaid, meaning that their customers don't actually get "better help".

[@VirtousStoic]

Tbey are a demonic company bro

[@d4v3yy]

@@Grrranola "better help"? nah, more like "better lies" 💀 bro i cant think of something that rhymes with it 😭

[@LIAMSTOP-wt3kf]

@@d4v3yy "BetterHelp" Yeah sure, BetterStealYourCreditCardInformation.

[@memberwhen22]

BetterHep sold an aggregate of responses to a survey.

[@LethalTurd]

I wonder if Better Help helped more people commit than to stop them from doing it.

[@snakedoktor6020]

???

[@meee_5155]

@@snakedoktor6020it’s a scam

[@b.c.9358]

​@@snakedoktor6020better help therapists are not necessarily licensed to practice therapy. Sometimes they get straight up random people.

[@mixiekins]

​@@snakedoktor6020 commit, as in going to the other side... op is making a sick joke at the expense of those seeking help but being scammed.

[@vectorthehop3945]

@@mixiekins i think he used a euphemism because youtube censoring comments

[@4bSix86f61]

Vox shouldn't have fallen for the "BetterScam" therapist sponsor.

[@memberwhen22]

I "fell" for the BetterHelp platform and it's helped me improve my life and accomplish things that I was previously stuck on. Your mileage may vary.

[@RodyTheRoad]

I can't believe it's literally back and creators just somehow forgot their scandal. BetterHelp was shunned some time ago, what happened?

[@memberwhen22]

Shouldn't have*

[@TinLeadHammer]

* fallen

[@20nar]

@@memberwhen22 Did ya generate that with AI?

[@cod9365]

Don't advertise BetterHelp.

[@idekanymore0721]

why?

[@memberwhen22]

Why? I use it and it's helped me to be a better person and accomplish a lot of goals I was having trouble reaching before.

[@memberwhen22]

Why? I use it and it's helped me to be a better person and accomplish a lot of goals I was having trouble reaching before.

[@memberwhen22]

Why? I use it and it's helped me to be a better person and accomplish a lot of goals I was having trouble reaching before. (I'll keep posting this, not really sure why it is being removed but a dig with no context is allowed by somebody that probably has never even used the service)

[@RanmaSyaoranSaotome]

@@idekanymore0721 They were sued for selling sensitive client data to advertisers.

[@Dada228822]

Better help is a complete scam, they don’t have therapists actually, just random people, who you have to repeat your stuff all over gain, like people in the street. Waste of time, and it’s actually predatory.

[@thiagotelho]

The "power on" sound at the beginning got me checking my headphones, as if I hadn't already listened to a whole intro on them.

[@manavhirani]

yep, the sony gang be confused rn

[@The_NSeven]

@@manavhirani I don't even have them on and I checked lol

[@kiiyll]

"I thought I was wearing my WH-1000XM5's, why am I hearing the WH-1000XM4 power on sound?"

[@techmad8204]

​@@The_NSeven Same 😂

[@noisycarlos]

That happens to me when I see an ad for Slack and they play the notification sound

[@frederickthegreat3912]

Great video except for the betterhelp sponsor. Vox should be responsible enough to avoid companies like that

[@sh0werp0wer]

How is it a great video? It asks a question and then answers a completely different one. The question was whether headphones destroy our hearing, goes on to talk about how we turn up our volume without even realising it, then it ultimately just answers whether active noise cancelling damages our hearing?

[@alexcooper4006]

Always use concert ear plugs at shows. They not only protect your hearing, they actually make it sound better. Shows can be incredibly harsh sounding, with one sound spilling into another. If you wear concert earplugs, it reduces the noise to a level you can actually enjoy and hear things clearly.

[@hardcoreherbivore4730]

Small venues can be ridiculous with their volumes. Whereas outdoor festivals can be much better. Still, ear plugs help.

[@thijseggen2880]

"they actually make it sound better"? How? I don't think this is right. But it does protect your hearing, thats for sure.

[@hardcoreherbivore4730]

@@thijseggen2880 Depends on the quality of the earplugs. Some are form fitted to your ears, and provide a variety of filtering options. You can experiment and find a filter that works best for the environment you’re in.

[@PileOfEmptyTapes]

@@thijseggen2880 If you look at data for our ability to hear harmonic distortion vs. level, you'll find that there is sort of a trough of best sensitivity vs. level. Essentially, at very low levels it's limited by the absolute hearing threshold, while at high levels our ears effectively start distorting by themselves. (It's probably why PAs do not attract complaints about their distortion levels more often.) I can certainly attest that things are much more comfortable with earplugs, but then I've always been the type to listen 10 dB quieter than the average person and complaining about live sound levels being 20 dB too high. Apparently this can be a sign of a type of hidden hearing loss.

[@unosquash]

@@thijseggen2880 idk if its just me but really loud concerts are too loud to the point u cant make out anything

[@MrHaydnSir]

a better sponsor for this video would have been loop earplugs 4:30

[@Ali-oh6wh]

Agreed! I own some myself.

[@gabor6259]

A better sponsor would have been *nearly any sponsor.*

[@totokoostudios]

I feel like that would compromise the integrity of the video though, just turning it into an ad

[@chlorophyllphile]

​@@totokoostudiosI agree, that would make you second guess the video's trustworthiness. Avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest.

[@SpaceForceCommander]

I have always protected my hearing because I learned very early on that the tiny hairs required for hearing in my ear canal can break off and never grow back if they are subjected to very loud volume. So I never have music on too loud, even with headphones (to the extent that I can still hear external sounds).

[@deepak_nigwal]

i have been following this regime of using headphones, for over 15 years already... just because i knew they might permanently damage my ears in near future. With no actual cure to this problem, i planned to use to them only when i want to listen to the music. I control my urge to listen to the music and only do it after 11 pm at night, when there is enough silence around me and my house. if the environment is quiet, there is practically no need to increase the volume. the songs still feels really good in low volumes. any duration of headphone use wont affect hearing if its used in low volumes. fast forward to today, noise cancellation headphones are a boon to me, but i still prefer not to use them in public, because i love to enjoy music in pure silence. also, putting noise cancellation process to the MAX settings, and setting the music volume to low, gives the same effect... but sometimes it makes me dizzy. apart from music, i use external desk speakers for almost all other kind of content. Sounds coming from open and external source would cause less harm than the sounds coming very close to the eardrums... so less damage in general.

[@der.Schtefan]

WHAT?

[@jeffcarroll1990shock]

Speak up! I can't hear you!

[@twonumber22]

Huh?

[@PopEwLair]

WHAT IS BRO SAYING🗣️🗣️😭⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️

[@leerypixel]

???? Bro pls speak louder I can't understand you

[@hazimirsyad7663]

Yeah haha (I didn't hear so I just laughed)

[@vvvios]

Keep in mind that with BetterHelp, therapists are "serving" ten or more clients AT THE SAME TIME. It's absolute garbage and incredibly deceptive.

[@keithritter2051]

With all the incredible medical and surgical advancements in the last century its odd that hearing loss and tinnitus are treated like, "well the damage is done and try not to make it worse"...

[@microteam4]

I wonder why too. That's weird when you see how so many people have these problems

[@unosquash]

Its because there are so many different things that can cause it. It could be pressure/inflammation in the ear, could be damage to the auditory nerve (irreversible without surgery) or it could be a brain condition, and i dont think thats it. It could also be affected by stress.

[@loganmedia1142]

Knowing what damage has been done and having a way to fix it are vastly different things. Do you also find it odd that we can't just grow people new hearts or fingers?

[@notaspeck6104]

The vestibular system is incredibly delicate and complex, we aren’t currently capable of reversing damage to it but scientists and doctors are always working on these things. It’s a thankless job clearly. Maybe if we funded them and not billionaires and warmongers then we’d already have a solution 🤷‍♀️.

[@manuelgarciahurtado4600]

As a 26-year-old adult, since 2022, I developed tinnitus in my left ear due to listening to music at high volumes for approximately 10 years. Unfortunately, this prevents me from listening to music with headphones even at low volume, as it only worsens my tinnitus. As a music lover, this was a hard blow in my life. If you often start to feel ringing in your ears, this is a clear sign that you are about to get tinnitus. If you can still avoid it, do so at once.

[@dylanhavlicek4444]

how do you avoid it i think im getting there:(

[@manuelgarciahurtado4600]

@@dylanhavlicek4444 Unfortunately, I didn't know tinnitus existed until I had it. My recommendation is that if you have already started to feel symptoms, rest your ears for approximately 6 months and after that listen to music at a more considerate volume (being able to hear people with headphones)

[@undefinedxx55]

I live in a city; don't really have a choice unfortunately

[@Daffman999]

As far as I’m informed, you should get it checked out asap. Apparently, with hearing loss and tinnitus, time is extremely important for the success of the treatment. Don’t hesitate to get an appointment at a medical specialist immediately!

[@dylanhavlicek4444]

@@Daffman999 thanks for the advice guys. as soon as i get insurance ill do that

[@davidsykes6584]

I did my damage in my twenties, loud concerts, blasting music on my Walkman/Discman. I've had tinnitus for over twenty years now and a loss of hearing in certain frequencies. I try to avoid having it get worse, but the damage is done.

[@stopthenoiseglobal]

This happens because there is no proper acoustic education in many countries. Already in primary school, the problem of noise pollution should be raised among children and their parents, but such cases are rare. On the contrary - nowadays even for preschoolers are organized loud parties with music at full volume, because it is fashionable. In general, loud behavior is fashionable, but the point is not to give up completely to have fun with music, but to ensure that the sound level is such that it does not cause harm for life. This requires some knowledge about the impact of loud sounds on health and this knowledge should be taught from an early age.

[@Danish9248]

I am in my late 20s and have had tinnitus for over 10 years. I do actually enjoy it now..

[@loganmedia1142]

@@stopthenoiseglobal The danger of loud sounds is well known and has been taught for the last 50 years at least. Today, unlike when I was a teenager, earplugs suitable for music are available.

[@mrmaniac3]

The damage is done now without the victim's consent/self infliction. Cars, in a car dependent world, make public spaces unbearable with the constant loud noise they put out. And dogs, where people impulsively buy a dog without consideration for the animal's wellbeing, get aggressive and loud when neglected (treated as yard/living room ornaments) and shown aggressive behavior in humans (owners bicker and yell at each other). As a result they also destroy the hearing of the people unwillingly exposed to them. And that's just two of the worst examples I'm personally affected by.

[@omaryasin6676]

Channels must drop Better Help as a sponsor

[@memberwhen22]

Why? I use it and it's helped me to be a better person and accomplish a lot of goals I was having trouble reaching before.

[@jacobkummer2067]

@@memberwhen22 People's biggest problem with it is - yes it is probably a good product - but the way they push it, at times, can be arguably unethical. The way alot of their marketing is presented is as praying upon young people and blanket stating and fear mongering in a way that EVERYONE needs therapy for everything. Problem isn't the product - but how its pushed. Not saying I fully agree with sentiment above, but there is some truth to it. But I also know people who use it and have gotten help.

[@LIAMSTOP-wt3kf]

@@memberwhen22 So who's this person? A bot? This must be sarcasm.

[@augustortiz]

@@memberwhen22yeah right, nice one bot.

[@Ultimatetexican]

⁠@@memberwhen22 if you didn’t know betterhelp steals your data that you collect on the site and sells it to advertisers so they can give you adds for like anti-depressants Simply put it they are taking advantage of their users

[@theaveragebryan]

Meanwhile listening to this on headphones 😂

[@FromDkWithLove]

yeah, and with flaring tinnitus and the damage already being done.😅It just works.👌

[@JJONNYREPP]

Are headphones destroying our hearing? 1320pm 25.6.24 yeah. and i bet this was predicted 30 years ago - that you had decided to make a skit proclaiming constant use of headphones bad....

[@arafatrahmanshihab5268]

Same 😅

[@exexalien]

And turning the volume down twice within the first minute!

[@JJONNYREPP]

@@exexalien really......?

[@david_junior]

Don't use BetterScam please

[@Meg_A_Byte]

I feel like there could be a lot more information and more emphasis on loud music in clubs and concerts. And that there was needlessly big emphasis on the explanation how Active Noise Cancelling works.

[@mrmaniac3]

Also the loud noise of cars and dogs barking

[@WhitePillMan]

No it’s the insanely loud bars, clubs, concerts, transportation, etc that is much higher decibels than anyone I’m aware of listens to in their headphones.

[@twonumber22]

No? lol ok. Obviously other things like that would be included.

[@AnymMusic]

the intensity of sound in headphones can absolutely be a problem

[@unvergebeneid]

@@AnymMusic the world becomes louder when I take off my headphones. Not sure how to square that with "your headphones are destroying your hearing."

[@WhitePillMan]

@@AnymMusic can be sure. But try recording the decibels in a bar/club sometime. It’s much higher than most headphones even reach I believe.

[@Moli05]

But you can't do nothing about those, with headphones you can

[@spacescienceguy]

I developed tinnitus around 3 years ago during lockdown. It's hard to say what caused it exactly, but I've always suspected it was because of playing Escape from Tarkov. It's a shooter game that encourages you to turn up the volume to hear people sneaking, but then has bursts of loud gunfights. I've played games with headphones for over a decade before that without issue. Anecdotally, a lot of other people have said EfT has given them tinnitus.

[@marpheus1]

I'm autistic and get sensory overload quite easily in loud spaces, so I usually carry a pair of earplugs to places like that and also have tinnitus, maybe because I used to wear headphones really loud to overtake it, but I got ANC earbuds and headphones, so I hope these habits slow any possible hearing loss or worsening of my condition.

[@SuperTakkino]

ANC earphones have been a lifesaver not only for commuting on the subway, but also visiting museums! I even used them at a concert recently where I was struggling with the volume. I used the 'passthrough' function of my ANC earphones, letting 15% of the sound come through. It made me feel so much better and prevented sensory overload.

[@michaelmonstar4276]

@@plopsan Sorry, but it sounds more like deafness than tinnitus. With tinnitus alone, you shouldn't have to raise the volume to understand anything, I have it and I still hear tiny details. You should get that measured and see what you still hear or perhaps they can even find something blocking your hearing. Could be as simply as excess earwax that's just deep, which isn't uncommon and just natural. But if not, you might need an aid to help instead of blasting volume and risking making things worse.

[@michaelmonstar4276]

I'm an HSP and have always been bothered by a lot of noise (not understanding it until, possibly, my twenties), though I also still went to things like Rock/Metal concerts and being in an ocean of people. Still do, but have of course started using earplugs many years ago now. But I went as far as wearing them 90% of the time, other than while sleeping. Even the water clattering in a shower-cabin or bathroom is tiresome to my hearing and I avoid even that, let alone more. Well, I still blast music loudly, but only with good quality (in terms of production, not the bitrate or anything), in that they don't have harmful frequencies or low dynamic range. - But only with listening to music or watching movies or playing games, when I really want to enjoy good sounds, I won't wear earplugs, and outside of that I will have them in by default. - It also seems to become more normal now with brands like Loop even selling them as fashionable to people like us who are bothered by noise easily. And I like that they're normalizing it, cause the human health is suffering with the noisy environments we live in. All that the modern human does isn't natural, as normalized as it all is.

[@Jhawk_2k]

Did this research a couple years ago, glad to hear from an expert that ANC doesn't *add* damaging sound. You can turn the volume down quite a bit when the background noise is cut out

[@LutraLovegood]

It depends on how good the ANC is. I had the QC30 from Anker and couldn't stand it, but I'm also the only person I know who notices, so depends on how good your hearing is too.

[@Jhawk_2k]

@@LutraLovegood Sony has incredible ANC, I used the same model in the video for years

[@saminnippon]

The airpods pro 2 have actually been really good in blocking out loud noise with adaptive transparency, i use it often for my commute and I find it blocks high pitch noises and roadwork when I wear it.

[@squidcaps4308]

I'm sound engineer, used to tour as a musician: do NOT go to a rock concert without hearing protection! I ruined mine, there is a permanent scream inside my head. Now i don't go to any loud event without at least my trusty, very cheap in-ears. Money is a poor indicator of quality in the consumer audio, specially with headphones whose marketing and the community built around them are the worst in the whole audio/sound business and it is not even close to the second. Do not trust any "audiophile"review that doesn't at least attempt to establish a baseline with measurements.

[@nataliesimpson443]

hey - what ear protection do you use? I'm a DJ who recently got chronic tinnitus and NIHL in my left ear (notch at 4.5 - 6k) from a loud and bad quality monitor, as well as loud bad quality speakers in the room I DJ'd in in April. I'm taking a break from DJing while I get to grips with the scream, but would love to still play / go to gigs. I have a pair of eargasm -15db plus which I liked in June at a festival but I think my T has gotten a little worse since onset in April. Also waitng on ACS customs to arrive but I would like to buy a few pairs of cheaper plugs so I always have them

[@noonunoon]

Noise Canceling is essential. I bought a headphone and just for that.

Do not use it for too long, it can cause tinnitus if you over do it. You can check on exactly how much is too much.

[@csr7080]

That's not how that works. The noise cancelling doesn't cause tinnitus.

[@GK-lo4yd]

Did you even watch this video?

[@LutraLovegood]

That entirely depends on the specific ANC.

[@aurora6920]

the video explained it's not damaging as it cancels out noises. So no vibration to the ear. the most important thing is to take breaks and have music at talking volume.

[@matthew.datcher]

I am one of the very few people who gets nauseous listening to active noise cancelling. So, I only own headphones with good passive noise cancelling. Now I'm just afraid with the way technology goes everyone will stop making them.

[@microteam4]

Most of the time, a good ANC is only possible with a good passive NC in the first place. If you pick a ANC headphone and turn it off, it will have the same effect as a headphone with only passive NC.

[@matthew.datcher]

@@microteam4 I totally agree. What annoys me is that the ANC headphones default to turning on the ANC every time they are powered on and then make you go through hoops to turn off the ANC. My PNC headphones are far less of a hassle.

[@somanyquestions3180]

I tried four pairs of ANC headphones before I found some that I can just about tolerate. I wish this were talked about more, I was completely blindsided when I put on the first pair and instantly felt dizzy and very, very weird.

[@SuperTakkino]

@@matthew.datcher At least with ANC headphones/earphones that come with an app (Sony, Sennheiser, B&W etc), you can set the default according to your location/activity so I'd recommend looking into this feature for your next purchase! Otherwise, there will always be a market for PNC in-ear devices as long as audiophiles/artists exist, as purists tend to think ANC negatively impacts the audio quality 😆

[@unosquash]

You ever try the etymotic earbuds? I loved my old er2se's until i lost them, but then I wanted something with LESS cancellation so i had awareness so i bought something else.

[@mattieboombatti]

Helpful, but I was hoping to hear (heh) more about how to make sure we listen at a safe volume. I know Apple has some built in protections (since they know the loudness of their devices), but does that help enough? Where are those settings? Etc.

[@GENIRYODAN]

I have some irreversible nerve damage because I listened to death metal at high volume for like 5 minutes. I forever regret doing this.

[@ross-carlson]

Nerve damage? Did you slam your head on something while listening?

[@ilhamrj2599]

@@ross-carlsonyes,,, he said something about hard metal, right… must be solid.

[@geod1m]

You cant get hearing damage in 5 minutes from headphones. They have a maximum volume which is considered safe to hear for a couple of hours a week

[@toooes]

@@geod1mconfidently incorrect

[@toooes]

If you put 10,25,50w of power through some cans by accident that diaphragm is going to shake. Not all headphones just run off of internal amplifiers…

[@Tarasevich_00]

Pardon? I can’t hear you through my headphones

[@puzzLEGO]

did anyone else turn their volume down while watching this video? 😅

[@CoralieBinder]

5:20 When I first bought my noise-cancelling headphone, the simple answer that : "no, it's not adding sounds to your eardrums" was awefully difficult to find. Happy to know it works this way physically.

[@stefansauvageonwhat-a-twis1369]

They told us this in school ye Ive got sound hypersensitivity and have my headphone volume limit and the smallest number 75dB which already hurts my ears, the pain makes me think im at risk but its actually protecting me lol. Noise cancelation my beloved, the world is so loud

[@deniskhafizov6827]

Noise damage is not invisible. You can easily notice it with just your phone and any app or online service that can produce a sound of certain frequency and loudness. Your phone speaker is most probably able to emit sounds up to 20kHz and beyond, so the only thing that can prevent you from hearing the high pitch sounds is your own hearing loss. btw the C9 note is 8372Hz and C10 is 16744Hz respectively your limit is probably somewhere in between p.s. there are also numerous diseases that may lead to hearing issues, so noise may be not the main problem in your case

[@beta8251]

glad my airpods has a feature to monitor noise decibels and automatically lowers it to a safe level. doesnt always cross my mind that the audio could be too loud

[@marsl1ght]

A tip: please wear earplugs if you go to concerts or parties!! If the sound is loud enough, exposure to it once can lead to hearing loss. My brother had this happen a year ago and after treatments, he still doesn't have his hearing back. He is not completely deaf but he can hear a lot less then he did before.

[@henrymouland02]

Have often wondered if there are negative side effects to active noise cancellation even if it allows me to lower my headphone volume. Great video that helps put my mind at ease.

[@FromDkWithLove]

The video brought it up, but didn't answer it. it's to be expected from vox though. So we'll keep wondering.

[@dogmeat2418]

@@FromDkWithLove It did answer it? Tf are you talking about

[@camsta_]

@@FromDkWithLove they did answer it, the noise cancellation plays a sound that acts in the opposite direction to the noise, cancelling it and resulting in no sound. you can't damage your ears if there is no sound.

[@FromDkWithLove]

@@dogmeat2418 How something works in theory through a brief, generalized summary is nothing conclussive to you and I. As you know, it might as well have nothing at all. But that's beyond the scope of a quick overview video like this. You'd need study data breakdowns on specific models and manufacturers for that.

[@waltuh6984]

@@FromDkWithLove it gave an answer not a reason why though all henrymouland02 wanted was an answer

[@_eo227]

I find it really interesting, but maybe more info and longer vid about this?

[@jhxc64]

Bruh. How much is Betterhelp paying everyone to just forget everything they did? It can't be worth it.

[@HulluJanne]

I got my right ear blasted by a muzzle blast from an assault rifle when I was in the army. Ever since I've been super sensitive to any kind of audible distortion. Clipping microphones are so bad that I must drop the volume to like 1-3% when listening with headphones. I did have sensitive hearing before but after that incident, I've had recurring physical pain in my right ear. One time I noticed that I probably hear everything with a slight amount of distortion. I've used headphones for more than 10 years now when I browse and having something liker EqualizerAPO and sometimes a few limiter/compressor and or dynamic EQ's is a must to get through some of the badly recorded stuff on KZbin. I feel like the world gets louder every day and I think I should probably get some noise cancelling earbuds when visiting any place that has more people or (loud) traffic.

[@eyespliced]

I probably have some hearing loss, but tbh, I'm more inclined to blame it on going to super loud punk, metal, and edm shows for almost 2 decades. (since I was like... 13?) I don't max out my headphone volume though - the most comfortable range for me is around 40% total system volume.

[@Tommy5ive]

You should wear earplugs at loud concerts

[@Jacques80120]

No doubt but unfortunately education around these matters weren't all that up to scratch in certain regions in the past and some already suffered the consequences. But earplugs can absolutely prevent further damage, however some people I've spoken to say their hearing is so compromised that what is loud for normal people is just right for them and if they were to wear earplugs, even the special types, they won't enjoy it at all. Quite sad actually.

[@anacc3257]

@@Tommy5ive Maybe even at the movies. I don't get how people can deal with such loud sounds for hours. Maybe they've damaged their hearing so much and gotten desensitized

[@Big-Chungus21]

2:30 those sound effects are ingrained into my brain as I own a pair of Sony WH-1000XM4s. The noise cancellation means I usually use it at a lower volume, and the audio quality is excellent for bluetooth headphones.

[@thomasbachrach]

Very disappointed you'd accept a sponsorship from BetterHelp.

[@FroschBube]

I have ADD / am a highly sensitive person (HSP) and I'm very susceptible to sensory stimuli, hearing and sound being one of the biggest. As a kid, the doctor said I have impeccable hearing and I can still hear frequencies like bats chirping at night. I wonder if people even notice how noisy "normal" crowded environments are by themselves - people, talking / screaming, cars, trains, buses, airplanes - it gives me a headache. Sitting in an airplane without covering my ears in some type of way is like sound torture to me. Even sitting in a "quiet" office, there are chairs squeaking, people talking, phones ringing, coffee machines going off, it's very distracting. I only go out in public with noise cancelling headphones now, they make it so much more bearable, even comforting. I also plug my ears and wear a sleeping mask at night. Another giant risk people seem to ignore is club speakers that always play the music way too loud and I even noticed their equalizer settings are horrible often, it feels like I'm being beat up by soundwaves. The times I went to the club without ear plugs I couldn't bear the noise for long, my head starts hurting and when I leave, my ears are ringing, it's horrible. Now I always have ear plugs with me in case I'm in a noisy environment or I end up at a party. Club speakers are not only bad for your hearing, but can also be dangerous physically since too intense bass soundwaves can burst the air bubbles in your lungs. The last time I went out the music not only sounded way more loud than usual, but also like the equalizer was set to max on every frequency. The bass waves felt like a physical attack on my body. I quickly left. I do listen to music constantly, usually with headphones, maybe too loud occassionally (noise cancelling probably helps keeps the noise down, too), but that's nothing compared to the hearing loss I experience from club speakers. I also noticed that using high quality headphones (I only use BOSE equipment, great noise cancelling, too) reduces headache over prolonged sound exposure to an absolute minimum. Music is not only unpleasant when it's too loud (also imagine hearing a song you don't like that's physically damaging you at the same time), but in conclusion - it's absolutely not worth permanently losing your hearing over going out partying (if you enjoy that sort of stuff).

[@elijahgracekovalsky]

practically lost my hearing with this beat at the beginning

[@NPRixix]

Finally, a video on this. I had these exact same questions time ago and did a deep dive. Definitely could make a part 2 that goes more in depth and has some better reccommendations, this was very high level. Also, the mention of clubs/concerts at the end, another video just on that topic and the importance of getting good earplugs that lower db but not the quality of the music would be cool.

[@georgecook83]

Now back to my loud music. :/

[@anacc3257]

Can't be as bad as going to concerts or spending a lot of time next to big crowds

[@derricka7751]

@@anacc3257 It indeed can be as bad as those things, when you factor in the duration of exposure. Please make sure to protect your hearing, so you can continue to listen to that music you love into the future.

[@nataliesimpson443]

remember that the damage is cumulative, so you may not notice today, but in a few years you will. you might get tinnitus, like I did. You don't want that, you'll never hear silence again :(

[@georgecook83]

@@nataliesimpson443 I’m a combat vet that spent my youth at rock concerts. So yeah…Eeeeeeeeeee…

[@nataliesimpson443]

@@georgecook83 oh man, sorry. eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee too

[@SMGJohn]

Just use cotton plugs, they are comfortable and reduce loud sharp noises quite dramatically without actually blocking your hearing completely, it just muffles it. My great grandfather used to tell me all about how he retained his hearing after the war, cause he wore cotton plugs, a habit from when he was a hunter before the war because hunters need their ears just as much as anyone to listen.

[@notgodfreyho_]

Vox always had that unique quality of editing! Always love your video

[@Aaron_Walker_011]

Expected more info out of this video, considering they chose such a sensitive topic. Nothing I already didn't knew.

[@David-we5nr]

"I always thought noise cancellation was a marketing gimmick" Hey Vox can we have someone who knows what they're talking about make the video then e.g. someone who has used headphones before?

[@Splucked]

The decibel abuse that I inflicted on my ears from my teens to mid 40s is off the charts. Always max possible distortion-free volume. Based on what was said here, I should be virtually deaf. My hearing is average for a 60something. 🤷

[@SolidStrike]

In other news, scientists have discovered that water is wet. More on this at 11.

[@zumabbar]

you should've put more emphasis about concert. in my understanding, i don't think casual concert goers realize how damaging concerts can be without using ear plugs. while jackhammer operators normally already knows the risks and the needs for ear muffs. would've done so much more good from this video imo.

[@metramaks]

Two years ago I noticed that runging in my ears is constant. I knew about tinnitus before, but never cared too much. And now I never have the volume level higherthan 1/3 of the maximum level.

[@Sjalabais]

Interesting, I'm kind of averse to loud or persistent sounds and ANC headphones are a godsend. Especially air travel has become so much better with these.

[@kashinath69]

I lost almost 80% hearing loss due to head phone.😢

[@aminaelo]

how did that happen?

[@kashinath69]

@@aminaelo actually I was listening music at the bedtime 🌙 . Ididnt off the headphone on that night, When I wakeup in the morning I was not able to listen from one ear.

[@aminaelo]

@@kashinath69 oh i am so sorry to hear that, it sounds so painful :(

[@nova-6928]

i have bad tinnitus from shooting guns and im 17, i have to live with it for the rest of my life. please if you read this protect your ears like youre protecting your life, otherwise it will haunt you forever.

[@thedubwhisperer2157]

Well said. I have been involved in acoustics most of my life, and have fastidiously protected my ears - even wearing ear plugs at AC/DC concerts much to my friends' amusement. I am now 63 and can still hear up to 15kHz.

[@nulldmg27]

I commute by bus for about 2.5 hours per day. When I was using my earphones I would have to turn the volume up almost full to get a pleasurable listening experience due to the loudness of the bus to the point I would get a loudness volume on my phone like two days into my week. I've recently gotten a pair of XM4 headphones and I also thought ANC was a gimmick but it's really helped me cut the volume of my music down significantly.

[@SureshRajan]

the discussion started with are headphones are bad for our ears? and without proper explanation on that, topic shifted to active noise cancellation and should we have it or not! what exactly is this video??

[@tapio_m6861]

I don't like airpods, but the noise cancellation it provides is seriously good. So good in fact that I cannot use them without it. Sounds horrible without it on.

[@evan]

2024 and still greedily accepting more Betterhelp money. Embarrassing.

[@αβγδε]

Bro liked his own comment 😭

[@bubbyft3779]

please don’t take better help sponsorships…

[@memberwhen22]

Why? I use it and it's helped me to be a better person and accomplish a lot of goals I was having trouble reaching before.

[@unosquash]

@@memberwhen22 you have said that on every other comment u bot

[@memberwhen22]

@@unosquash sigh another one of these. If you've noticed my reply to other comments then you'll see how I then go on to defend myself. have you ever considered if alternatively, I'm actually a person who uses the service? Maybe I feel it isn't fair to let comments that judge it, by people that don't even use it stand without giving a counter example of how for some people it's not just garbage.

[@BsktImp]

Are there any ANC headphones that are specifically effective at eliminating the pulsating low frequency 'boom boom boom' and the bass of neighbour's loud music?

[@noisycarlos]

I've been wearing noise-cancelling earbuds to the movies, and it's been great in transparency mode. I tried musician's earplugs, which are supposed to reduce the sound without affecting the music, but found that for movies they reduce it too much and do muffle it up a bit more than I'd like. I find that earbuds in transparency mode reduce just enough, and keep enough of the sound quality for me.

[@PM-wt3ye]

+3dB is NOT double the loudness?! Every 10dB it gets twice as loud.

[@Eloraurora]

'Are headphones bad for your hearing?' asks video with too-loud sound effects relative to its presenters' voices.

[@ijchua]

BetterHelp pays $100-$200 per new trial, so it is an offer that is very difficult to refuse. The only thing that divides the "yes" and "no" camp is one's principles and values.

[@Swamp_Hound]

This person is a bot or a paid actor

[@TEAML3ZAR]

I have turned on the reduce loud sounds on my AirPods to 75dB. Yes i feel sometimes the volume is too low but after consistently using it. I feel good.

[@Titanic-wo6bq]

I always worry about this, whenever the volume gets loud enough to the point that its painful or uncomfortable I turn down my volume.

[@fayezsalka]

terrible advice: - The threshold for hearing damage over prolonged exposure is lower than the pain threshold - Your pain levels will adapt overtime, and over couple of years, what used to be painful is no longer painful, you lose a bit of hearing, you turn volume higher, you lose more hearing, etc.

[@Mububban23]

Interestingly, I just turned on Headphone Protection on my iPhone, set it to the lowest 75db limit, and I *think* it capped sound from going above 12 of 16 "up" clicks on the volume slider. By which time, my ears were begging for mercy long ago. I tend to listen to things like music at level 5-6, and podcats/KZbin as low as possible while still being clear. It amazes/horrifies me when I can clearly hear other people's music coming out of their closed-back headphones, while on a moving train, and I'm several seats away from them.

[@paulisaperson0516]

You’re hard of hearing because you listen to music too loud, I’m hard of hearing because of my work in a factory with 0 safety standards (and I listen to music too loud) we are not the same

[@vinson3725]

You're hard of hearing because of a factory, im deaf because i was born, we're not the same

[@edhikurniawan]

Actually, a busy bank nearby can produce around 85dB when i enter it, then measure. The headphone could actually helps that if equipped with noise cancelation. Or just use ear plugs, or just wear the headphone, without playing anything.

[@amadin6681]

How could you think about noise cancelation as a marketing technique? The technology is real and very cool

[@MohammedMehdiTBER]

Video Conclusion: Never listen to Metal songs or Music videos with naked women mastered to - 3 LUFS with Loudness Normalization disabled.

[@samlui3591]

When you have a problematic home then hearing loss is something I'm willing to have.

[@sh0werp0wer]

Hearing loss usually comes with tinnitus, which is a living nightmare.

[@TrueKivan]

I only realised I have tinnitus after I learned of what it is and tried to listen if I had it. Once I heard it I could not sleep for weeks as I could not unheard it, but you get used to it. No idea how long I had it before I noticed, could be days, weeks, months or years. Just assumed it's normal for the world to sound that way.

[@johnnybravo69420]

Hearing at high volumes (Higher that ~85dB for extended periods of time) with headphones with non-smooth magnitude responses is what damages hearing pretty much for almost all people. The former is common enough, but the latter represents more than 99% of all headphone models in the market. Noise cancelling helps with this to a degree though.

[@afrog2666]

Headphones (mostly in-ears) with poor isolation can definitely harm your hearing, since you need higher volumes for the same experience as well isolated ones headphones. The perceived volume is higher when you have a good seal, letting you listen at lower dB`s than otherwise. One could argue that the seal lets the pressure go higher, which to some extent is true, however that`s mostly just bass, and unless you`re OK at using equalizers, less isolating headphones will have higher dB`s over a broader frequency range, so definitely go with isolating headphones when you can. Not that I`m against open back headphones, they definitely have their place, but not in public or noisy environments. Still love my Fidelio`s and HD600`s, but I never use non-isolating in-ears (:

[@strawberrymelk9734]

Loving the irony of an ad for earbuds right before this video

[@xilefx]

This video feels just like an excuse to serve an ad

[@FromDkWithLove]

Always is.

[@tonys.1946]

And then I walk into something because I'm so disconnected from the world....

[@shikharsehgal3612]

Watching while wearing headphones:

[@stopthenoiseglobal]

Yes, it is a common situation that people use headphones to isolate themselves from the unpleasant noises of the city by listening to the sounds of music they enjoy. However, if the city noises are at a level of 70-90 dB (often more), then to drown them out, it is necessary to turn on the music even louder, and this is very harmful. In general, the world is already so polluted by noise that the damage caused by it is simply enormous.

[@rungsukburanarungsuk8816]

BetterHelp is worser than Meditation

[@memberwhen22]

Why? I use it and it's helped me to be a better person and accomplish a lot of goals I was having trouble reaching before.

[@flufflebut8781]

I would have liked the uncomfortable air pressure and rumors of anc-induced tinnitus to be addressed. Does the anc air pressure not do damage? It sure feels like it is. And the constant hiss of anc feels like it could mess with the brain causing tinnius when the brain tries to compensate for it.

[@ankitsonariya918]

Reduced the loudness immediately after seeing that logarithmic graph💀

[@Chris-cf2kp]

It's really disheartening just how incapable of actually doing anything to improve hearing doctors are, even oddities not directly related to the hairs in the cochlea. I've had some vertigo-like symptoms since I was 20 that wasn't caused by loud noise but what I think is jaw or Eustachian tube dysfunction and perhaps made worse by vaping prior to it starting suddenly. I and doctors have no idea. If you're young, be extra careful with your ears inner and exterior.

[@ChadWSmith]

Thanks. I was wondering about the "Does noise canceling hurt our ears?" question.

[@LeLouisLafontaine]

2:37 omg that "Power off" made me wanna grab my charger lol

[@jacobbaumgardner3406]

The issue isn’t the headphones themselves, it’s people willingly turning it up too far. You’d be surprised how well your brain can adapt to hearing quiet sounds when you let it. Give it enough time in a quiet space and even medium will sound loud. Also, go get some open backed headphones. They’re great for at home and not only is the sound quality usually higher, they alleviate a lot of the issues with hearing loss.

[@averylate621]

I have something called "Hyperacusis" which affected a good part of my education. For that reason I had to get some special made earbuds, these are also made for people that work in large environment and have a usually have a certin decibel filter.

[@srwapo]

I only wear one ear bud at a time. In the ear that has some hearing loss... I got hearing loss from all the noise of wind blowing around/in my helmet when I used to ride a motorcycle. It got me to wear ear plugs when I still rode one (it let me hear cars/horns/sirens, just stopped all the wind noise). Also use ear plugs when using power tools.

[@matuzaato]

Btw the headphones featured in this video are the Sony Wh-1000xm4, one of the best headphones for noise cancelling

[@Corzappy]

Ever since I realized that the ringing I hear in my head is not simply the sound of a quiet room I've been hyperaware of protecting my remaining hearing. I've had inexplicable ringing in my ears for as long as I can remember and with no singular loud event to pin it on I've concluded that it's just from having my headphones or earbuds way too loud. Since then I installed a program to put a cap on the volume that can play through my headset. Anything uncomfortably loud now automatically forces my system sounds to a lower volume, this has saved my ears from several dozen instances of loading up a newly installed game and being ear-blasted by max volume main menu music. *PROTECT YOUR EARS, TINNITUS IS PERMANENT, FOREVER, AND YOU WILL ONLY EVER REALIZE YOU'VE MESSED UP UNTIL IT'S TOO LATE.*

[@saricubra2867]

Beyerdynamics DT770 Pro, serious headphones for passive noise cancellation used for studio recordings, mixing, etc. Way better than active nonsense.

[@thedubwhisperer2157]

Even in the '80s I used to use in-ear monitors with ear defenders over them in aircraft for peace and quiet.

[@m.o.n.d.e.g.r.e.e.n]

always wondered if noise cancel doubles volume to our ear but now i realise how obvious the answer is thanks to this video!

[@JosephsDesign]

Noice cancelling is quite bad for me, it gives me terrible headaches and make me feel nauseous. That’s because noise canceling isn’t perfect and it really messes up sounds. . .

[@04.anugrahabar25]

I didnt know the working of noise cancellation headphones but now I surely am fascinated!