Listening to iPods can make you deaf

A wonderfully sensationalist front page splash from the Standard today to point out what man has known since the invention of the headphones, that listening to music loudly for a long time damages your hearing.

  

It wasn't quite clear from the article what was so product specific about this type of hearing damage to warrant billboards proclaiming "IPOD HEALTH ALERT". Maybe the Standard knows that the AAC compression recommended by Apple emits additional ear-destroying sonic frequencies which other mp3 players or the good old-fashioned walkman doesn't? Or maybe in a Spinal Tap style music just sounds louder if you use white plastic to make the headphones?

Whatever the Standard's reasoning, this unfortunate juxtaposition of newspaper boards at Chiswick Park station made me laugh out loud:

Posted by Martin Belam, May 11, 2005
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