Not long ago, there were hearing experts warning about the iPod series being capable of outputting volume levels of up to 104dB (100dB in EU) with the iPod's supplied earphones. Unfortunately, not all earphones are designed the same, which means if one decides to use a different brand of earphones with their iPod, they could be exposed to volumes of over 115dB.
With the hearing damage risks involved, a Louisiana man filed a lawsuit against Apple on behalf of all iPod buyers last week claiming that with a volume of over 115dB with certain earphones, it is possible to cause hearing damage with more than 28 seconds of continuous audio played at this volume. According to his lawsuit, Apple failed to take adequate steps to prevent hearing loss amoungst its iPod customers. His lawsuit aims to get Apple to limit its iPod's maximum volume to 100dB (like in the EU) as well as to provide noise blocking headphones so consumers don't need to crank up the volume as much to 'over-power' external noise.
Apparently, the main earphones that contribute to the higher volumes include those which fit into the ear canal as apposed to the standard earphones that sit on the bowel of the ear, since the further the earphones go into the ear, the more concentrated the sound becomes.
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A Louisiana man filed a lawsuit against the company last week, alleging that iPods can cause hearing damage. According to the complaint, the devices can produce sounds of more than 115 decibels, a unsafe volume if a person is exposed to the sound for more than 28 seconds. Local doctors say they haven't seen a surge in hearing-related problems caused by the popular music players, but urge listeners to exercise basic caution when using them. The best way to avoid problems, doctors say, is simply to turn down the volume. |
Just when most hearing specialists find that iPods and other MP3 players already can produce excessive volume levels, interestingly I'm surprised there are some companies can get away with selling inline headphone amplifiers, some of which claim to double or triple the maximum volume level. While these can be useful with MP3 players that have a very low headphone output, some models are specifically designed to be used with the iPod and it is unclear what the maximum dB output many of these can throw out.
Source: ContraCostaTimes
