Hearing protection

[cwyckham]

I'm volunteering with St. John Ambulance, and they made me do a hearing test before I started to establish a baseline to see if the sirens are damaging my hearing over time. I was dismayed to find out that I had significant hearing loss consistent with exposure to noisy environments. I haven't noticed the world getting quieter, but apparently the damage has been done.

I've very briefly held a couple of jobs in noisy environments, but always used adequate hearing protection. I believe that a probable culprit is general aviation. Note that I'm 32 and have only been flying for three years. Even if GA wasn't the original culprit, I certainly don't want to make my hearing any worse.

As a result, I've started wearing foam earplugs under my headset as recommended by the Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI). What a difference! I wear a cheaper model passive headset which does an ok job. With a $1 set of foam earplugs, it's so quiet it almost feels like I'm in a whole different airplane. You'd think that I'd have trouble hearing the radio, but the opposite is true. Because the background noise is suppressed, I can hear speech much better. I've also noticed that it's easier for me to concentrate on what's going on and I'm a bit more relaxed in the cockpit.

I would highly recommend trying them. CAMI recommends doing a long cross country flight with only one earplug in under your headset. Immediately after you shut down, remove the earplug and see if you notice a difference. They say it'll be an eye (ear?) opening experience (I haven't tried it, I'm already sold).

Chris

 

[poadeleted20]

"A cheaper model passive headset" does not do an "ok job." The use of anything less than ANR/ENC is penny-wise/pound-foolish. Yes, earplugs help, but even the foam plugs don't do what ANR/ENC does. It costs a couple of hundred more for an ANR/ENC headset, but you only get one set of ears that has to last a lifetime. What's your hearing worth to you?

 

[deafsound]

"A cheaper model passive headset" does not do an "ok job." The use of anything less than ANR/ENC is penny-wise/pound-foolish. Yes, earplugs help, but even the foam plugs don't do what ANR/ENC does. It costs a couple of hundred more for an ANR/ENC headset, but you only get one set of ears that has to last a lifetime. What's your hearing worth to you?

Not sure about that....a pair of decent cheap foam earplugs knock down the SPL 29 dB, and my crappy passive senheisers are do around 20db of reduction. it's pretty freakin quiet with both earlplugs and a headset on. Quieter than any ANR headset I've ever tried.

 

[gkainz]

guess I'll have to give the foam plugs a try again - when I tried that in the Navy I could not understand the radios well enough to do my job... and now my hearing has suffered because of that...

 

[Everskyward]

it's pretty freakin quiet with both earlplugs and a headset on. Quieter than any ANR headset I've ever tried.

This is what I did for many years (way before ANR) and I can still hear... I think. Very recently I've gotten a Clarity Aloft headset which is one of the earplug-type ones and I like it a lot.

 

[ejensen]

Did you do much music as a teenager? I know I left some of my hearing with the Dead, Zeppelin, Allman Bros, etc. Earplugs in a pocket most of the time now.

 

[gkainz]

Didn't do too much of the too loud music ...my loss was started off by .357Mag, .45ACP and 7.62 (.308 Win) fun'n games as a kid ... when I was indestructable, followed by years of sitting too near the prop tip...

Edit: typo's corrected in the light of day after a couple cups of coffee

 

[flyingcheesehead]

I've very briefly held a couple of jobs in noisy environments, but always used adequate hearing protection. I believe that a probable culprit is general aviation.

That, plus this:

I wear a cheaper model passive headset which does an ok job.

Means that you are sadly mistaken about the capabilities of your headset. It is NOT doing an OK job. Get an ANR headset! I had no idea what I was missing until I got one. It's so good, I try to use it in my truck as much as possible too.

What Ron said.

 

[Baron 55]

I don't know who is right on this issue, but if I found out my hearing had deteriorated, I'd want to do some research to figure out the absolute best headset/hearing protection I could find so as to preserve my remaining hearing. I'd be pretty nervous about it. But good luck. Since you aren't absolutely certain what caused this loss, take all precautions. I'd rather give up a few flights to save money toward the best headsets I could find if money is an issue. [I hate giving up flights, but I'd really hate losing that medical.]

 

[L10MAN]

Caution, YMMV, wearing even the soft ear pugs. I used to wear Sound Band hearing protection (ear plugs on a metal band) when I worked the ramp. Much lighter and more compact than wearing earmuffs. Then one day got out of the shower and it sounded like water in my ear. Already had a Dr's appointment so had them check it out. Those plugs had packed grease and anything else into my ears. Took a while to flush all the garbage out. Never worn the Sound Bands again. On head sets, get the best ANR that you can afford. All the mechanics that had hearing problems were from the prop days. All us jet boys wore hearing protection and had far fewer problems. Protect your ears.
Ron

 

[deafsound]

Caution, YMMV, wearing even the soft ear pugs. I used to wear Sound Band hearing protection (ear plugs on a metal band) when I worked the ramp. Much lighter and more compact than wearing earmuffs. Then one day got out of the shower and it sounded like water in my ear. Already had a Dr's appointment so had them check it out. Those plugs had packed grease and anything else into my ears. Took a while to flush all the garbage out. Never worn the Sound Bands again. On head sets, get the best ANR that you can afford. All the mechanics that had hearing problems were from the prop days. All us jet boys wore hearing protection and had far fewer problems. Protect your ears.
Ron

You have to use clean earplugs. Dirty ones lose their resiliance, which makes the seal in your ear less, which makes them ineffective (sp?). Mine get about 12 uses before I toss them. Some people I know throw them in their jeans when they do their laundry to clean them up, but I'm too anal. I often have to use earplugs to do mixing when the music is really loud, and the laundered versions don't sound quite right to me.
Anyway, with a good seal on a passive headset and earplugs in, you are getting a lot of noise reduction. A lot. A real lot. I can't find what kind of NR bose offers with their pricey headsets (doesn't say on their website), but I'll bet it's not close to 50dB, which is around what I'm getting with my cheapo version of PNR.

 

[Skip Miller]

I don't know who is right on this issue, but if I found out my hearing had deteriorated,

Mine, too.

Just be aware that hearing loss due to sound exposure is a delayed reaction. You could be losing hearing now due to all those wild and crazy years dancing right in front of the speakers back in your college days. The best headset in the world won't stop the process now because the damage is already done; it is just becoming apparent.

-Skip

 

[Ken Ibold]

I can't find what kind of NR bose offers with their pricey headsets (doesn't say on their website), but I'll bet it's not close to 50dB, which is around what I'm getting with my cheapo version of PNR.

Not quite. Typically an earplug or cheap headset will offer some kind of attenuation value, let's say it's your 29 dB set. BUT, that attenutation only comes at one frequency under best circumstances, and the marketer is going to promote the best number they have. Some cheapo headsets do this as well.

The noise reduction rating (NRR) is an amalgamation of the reduction levels across the whole spectrum of human hearing. So while that number may not be as high as your total 49, it's a better reflection of what's happening inside your ear and in fact, a headset with a NRR of 35 may be doing a better overall job of protecting your hearing than some combination of elements that allege to block 49 dB of sound. Make sure you compare apples to apples and not just add numbers that perhaps have no business being added.

 

[deafsound]

Not quite. Typically an earplug or cheap headset will offer some kind of attenuation value, let's say it's your 29 dB set. BUT, that attenutation only comes at one frequency under best circumstances, and the marketer is going to promote the best number they have. Some cheapo headsets do this as well.

The noise reduction rating (NRR) is an amalgamation of the reduction levels across the whole spectrum of human hearing. So while that number may not be as high as your total 49, it's a better reflection of what's happening inside your ear and in fact, a headset with a NRR of 35 may be doing a better overall job of protecting your hearing than some combination of elements that allege to block 49 dB of sound. Make sure you compare apples to apples and not just add numbers that perhaps have no business being added.

I can tell you that a cheap headset alone doesn't do the greatest job of blocking out the frequency spectrum very well, unless the fit is very very tight, and even then, there is usually some leakage around the 1kHz-5kHz area....a very bad range if you're trying to protect your hearing. This area is where you need your hearing protected most because when you start losing you hearing in this area, you have a hard time hearing peolpe speak. For example, the sound "CH" fits in the (approximately) 2kHz area and "S" can be anywhere from 3kHz-7kHz or so. So if your hearing goes bad in this area, you have a hard time hearing consonants, and without consonants, what do words sound like? Not much.
Anyway, the earplugs I use are very good at blocking out sounds across the frequency range, but only when they are still fresh. Once they are dirty, they suffer the same problems that crappy headsets do...not much reduction in the upper mid-range area.
Also, the earplugs I use (which by the way are Aearo E-A-R Classics---I buy them by the box of 200 pairs) do have different attenuations across the board, but the difference is minimal....only a 3dB difference between 100Hz and 8kHz (the average person can only hear a 6dB change before they notice anything), and my ears will back it up that they are pretty much evenly blocking out the frequency spectrum, so I am satisfied.
I'm not knocking the ANR headsets...when someone starts paying me real money to fly, I would like to invest in a decent pair myself, but for now, making very little money in the air, my method works very well. Oh, and BTW, I have been living my life playing in bands, recording music, going to really loud shows, and doing sound for some of the loudest bands you've ever heard, all while wearing earplugs, and the last time I had my hearing checked, it worked just fine. Slight dip around 4kHz from the abuse I suffered as a teenager before I started wearing earplugs----I can still hear 17kHz, which is pretty good for a guy who calls himself deafsound.

 

[MauleSkinner]

So...if after 10 hours of flying a noisy airplane, comfort ears ring less with one type of headset/combination than another, and my fatigue level is lower, does that mean it's a better option?

I don't have a dB meter installed in my head (although some would say there's room), so I'm looking for a more useable reference system.

Fly safe!

David

 

[Tom-D]

WHAT ?

 

[deafsound]

All I'm saying is that the earplug/passive headset combo is a good cheap alternative to throwing a grand down on a pair of Bose. No batteries required.
FWIW, I am going to speak to one of some of the engineers at Bose and get a little more detailed information for everyone on this matter. When I do, I will we give y'all a full pirep.

 

[AirBaker]

All I'm saying is that the earplug/passive headset combo is a good cheap alternative to throwing a grand down on a pair of Bose.

Well You can get a pair of lightspeeds for $100 more than some passive david clarks.

Also, the noise level varies by airplane too. My dad's 206 is significantly more quiet than my Bonanza. I don't hear anything with the Bose in his plane.

 

[deafsound]

Also, the noise level varies by airplane too. My dad's 206 is significantly more quiet than my Bonanza. I don't hear anything with the Bose in his plane.

Yes, the ratty old 152s whose doors don't seal all the way closed can be louder than the new 182s.

 

[flyersfan31]

Ahhh, if I could just claw back all those hours spent by the speakers in those Philly music clubs. Maybe I could hear my kids from across the room now....

I have Lightspeed 30-3gs and am happy with them. They are a bit bulky, but the NR is great vs passive. The new DCs look pretty good, though I haven't tested them in flight.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

I have Lightspeed 30-3gs and am happy with them. They are a bit bulky,

But VERY comfortable. I love mine.

but the NR is great vs passive.

NR is great, and if your batteries go even the passive NR is pretty good, unlike the Bose. Customer service is excellent as well.

Looking at a second pair for pax...

 

[cwyckham]

I just got another hearing assessment done by a specialist (last one was done by an occupational nurse), so I thought I'd give an update. The hearing loss is significant at one frequency in one ear. The last measurement showed it in both ears, but this was certainly a more robust measurement.

This is not consistent with damage due to a noisy environment as I'd been told, but rather to a trauma. This trauma was likely a car accident I had in 2000 when the airbags went off. I had severe ringing in that ear for weeks afterwards. The annoying thing was that it was a really low speed accident, so there was no need for the airbag to go off. I got a bad accelerometer.

So noisy airplanes have done nothing to my hearing so far, but I'm certainly still going to wear earplugs under my headset to protect the hearing I have left.

Chris

 

[Henning]

Did you do much music as a teenager? I know I left some of my hearing with the Dead, Zeppelin, Allman Bros, etc. Earplugs in a pocket most of the time now.

I guess I lucked out. Lots of the above as well as drag racing (even with nitromethane) and when I came out of "The Box" the gal told me my hearing was just fine.