Don't Lose The Music is brought to you by RNID

In a world of your own

If you are a music fan it's likely you go to clubs and gigs a lot, but it's even more likely that you use an MP3 player or personal stereo every day. Find out how to listen safely on this page.

Remember - if you have ringing in your ears or dull hearing after listening to your MP3 or personal stereo, it is a serious warning that the music was loud enough to damage your hearing.

Tips for protecting your hearing:

  • Take regular breaks from your headphones to give your ears a rest.
  • Turn down the volume a notch - even a small reduction in volume can make a big difference to the risk of damage to your hearing.
  • Avoid using the volume to drown out background noise, for example the sound of the train or traffic (find out about additions to in-ear headphones that help with this problem).
  • If your MP3 player has a ‘smart volume’ feature, use it so you have control of the volume you are listening at

What volume is safe to listen at when I use my mp3 player?

Lady using an MP3 player

There is no simple answer to this question as it depends on the make and model of music player, the type of headphones you are using and on your susceptibility to hearing damage. As a rule of thumb, if the music is uncomfortable for you to listen to then it's too loud, or if you can't hear external sounds when you've got your headphones on, again, it's probably too loud.

But that is not the complete picture, because noise damage is caused by two factors - the volume you listen at and how long you listen for. When you vary the volume, the length of time you can ‘safely’ listen for changes too. Simply put, the higher the volume the shorter time you should listen for. 

Got an iPod nano, or a video-capable iPod?

Apple have volume limiting software which you can download onto your iPod. The software lets you set a maximum limit to prevent the volume exceeding the level you set. 

Got a Zune?

Microsoft have provided lots of hearing safety advice on the Zune website. If you've recently bought a Zune portable media player, take a look at their advice.