Tech – Page 31 – Tech Evaluate

Tinnitus in Both Ears Once in a while, you find something so exciting you cannot wait to tell the world!!! I have Tinnitus in both ears (ringing in the ears), and I can tell you exactly how I got it. Riding my Harley way too fast with my earbuds turned up way too loud to 10 on the highways of the Western United States. Just like many things we didn’t know, that was such a bad idea because it destroyed my hearing and my ears, and they ring 24/7. Trust me when I tell you that you don’t want this. As we research cell phone accessories, headphones, and chargers, products for our own personal use, and our articles, we found the most incredible product ever; Bone Conduction Headphones. I can’t even tell that I am wearing them, and they sound to me just as good as any earbuds I have ever used. Wireless Bone Conduction Headphones What are Bone Conduction Headphones? Bone conduction is the conduction of sound to the inner ear through the bones of the skull. Bone conduction transmission can be used with individuals with normal or impaired hearing. Bone conduction works with the vibration of the skull that results in auditory sensation. This is a way to somewhat bypass the outer and middle ears to stimulate the cochlea of the ear. Bone-conduction works because all of the bones of the skull are connected, including the temporal bone, which in turn stimulates the cochlea. Critical Asset From Beethoven to Bone Conduction Hearing Aids, Bone conduction technology for the past 150 years, in one way or another, has been a critical asset for the treatment of hearing loss. The current bone conduction technology is helping some people with hearing loss to hear again. The innovation for Bone Conduction Headphones is in consumer electronics. In the early 2000s, Bone Conduction Headphone sets appeared that played music via the user's bones, but the systems were constrained by high cost and low quality, with common complaints about the muffled and distorted sound. Normal Hearing Ear Diagram Bone Conduction Hearing Ear Diagram Now bone conduction has gone beyond those limitations and is an amazing technology in earphones, headsets, hearing aids, and for swimmers, underwater and deep-sea communication systems, helmets, and the military. Safety in Leaving Your Ears Open to Outside Sounds The bone conduction headphone systems of today offer key safety advantages over regular earbuds or headphones by leaving the user's ears free so that they can hear their surrounding environment. You can drive a vehicle while wearing them, as they conform to the legal requirement to be able to hear on the road. The Audiology Foundation of America has supported the idea, stating that it causes less damage to the ears than earbuds. Please see some of our other Bone Conduction Headphone articles like "Do Bone Conduction Headphones Have Bass?" and "Bone Conduction Technology Leading to Headphones In the Early 1800s Through the 20th Century." Headphones and Earbuds Ruining our Ears A recent publication article cites from the International Journal of Audiology states that the authors found that a quarter of the participants in the study “were at severe risk for hearing loss because of their personal listening devices.” The fact that these earphones use bone-conduction transducers does not inherently make them any safer than any other earphone, as the bone-conducted sound is transduced by the cochlea similarly to air-conducted sound. What is most important is that you do not play your headphones too loud. The Bone Conduction Headphones go on the outside of your ears and rest on your cheekbones. They do not need to go in your ear canal or block your hearing. Wireless Bluetooth Bone Conduction Headphones The sample shown below is IP55 water-resistant Bone Conduction Headphones with wireless Bluetooth and CVC microphone. The headband design is comfortable, stable to wear and suitable for running, cycling, and exercise. IP55 Water-Resistant Bone Conduction Headphones Bone Conduction Headphones are rated sweatproof all the way to IPX8 rated waterproof and, depending on the pair, can be used for swimming. We believe these are the perfect addition to your music or audiobook library as that is what I use them for on a day-to-day basis. IPX8 Water-Proof Bone Conduction Headphones These headsets work great for hearing damaged people because the sound goes directly through the bone to the Ear Canal and you can barely tell the difference. They can also help in all-around safety when jogging, working, or just cooking in the kitchen. You can hear your surroundings as well, and you can listen to music, and someone can say something to you, and you can respond without taking your hands off of what you are doing. I can also answer my phone with the wireless phone feature. No wires to deal with, which makes me very happy. To me, personally, these are wonderful. I feel more comfortable not having anything in my ear canals, and I feel like my ears don’t ring like they do after I wear earbuds. So, in conclusion, it is my opinion that they are not causing damage to my ears like earbuds have in the past. References: http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/29/tech/innovation/bone-conduction-get-used/index.html https://journals.lww.com/thehearingjournal/fulltext/2012/06000/Letters___The_Truth_about_Bone_Conduction.12.aspx https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bone_conduction_auditory_brainstem_response