Loud pipes and hearing loss.

[busa-saga]

did somebody say something?

your eye sight might be bad. i see what am typing

 

[mikev7]

"ive never owned a car without atleast a custom 600 watt sound system. ......... I have been riding for 20+ years, 3/4 with ear plugs and no thumping car stereo and my hearing is excellent for my 45 years.

yes that has something to do with it. thats why i compared the two. i have been very bad to my hearing over the years but the loud pipes have been my downfall.

There's no way the average car stereo produces anywhere near 160db. For reference, the 200 Watt factory Bose system (I know, Bose sucks) in my coupe will barely break 100db, and just as top speed on a motorcycle doesn't double when horsepower doubles, it takes a LOT of watts to hit even 130db.

I've got over 1400 watts worth of power in my home stereo system, and it won't break 110db at the listening position...not that I want it to....it starts getting painful over 100db.

That correction made...loud pipes can be very annoying, and can contribute to hearing loss if exposure time isn't limited, or decibel level reachin the ears not reduced with hearing protection.

im not talking about average car audio. my truck hit near 140db in an offical uscai comp (which i dont turn up anymore). i have seen people regularly hit 155db in street cars with garage built audio systems. do a search for db dragracing on youtube.

I have tinnitus also (thanks to growing up around dirt track stock cars and multiple untreated ear infections)... and I have found that when I ride with my ear plugs, the ringing is almost unbearable... But I do continue to wear the earplugs and suffer through it.

If I could find some headphones that I can actually HEAR while riding without being at concert decibel levels... maybe that would help... but for now.. it's the earplugs and the wonderful tune of tinnitus.

myy ears have been ringing since i was in my early 20s. that would be due to the car audio part of the equation. my ears do ring when i ride with earplugs. i also notice just how loud the exhaust note and combined wind noise actually is. i really notice when i reach the end of a long ride and pull them out. hearing is a delicate thing. many people will find this out in their lifetime.

I have had drag cars, guns, dirt bikes, harleys, sport bikes, etc. etc. and all have been loud. Never suffered any hearing loss and my hearing is super sonic

I could hear a mouse fart from 1/4 mile away

I will tell you that the ONLY pipe I have ever heard that hurt my ears, literally, was the tsukigi canon slip ons. Those damn things are ear bleed loud. and that was with my full face helmet on while riding the bike. They were unbearable.

maybe i might be a little more excessive than you are. you are only 2 years older than me but my ears are shot. i also own a drag car with a built nos 355 and no exhaust baffling to speak of and 1200 watt system in it (removable) so thats like double damage.

 

[kennym4]

i have hearing loss due to whinny wifes and *****ing children...does this count?

I learned from my Pop to tune that out at a young age. That, and how to act like you don't know how to do anything, or get mad at what you're trying to do, so the family tells you to leave it alone, and they do it...

 

[rusheriv]

Hearing loss and tinnitus may be to those who've yet to experience the long term effects of this disability. While the loss of your hearing may not be as detrimental as say the loss of a limb, it is life changing. So go ahead, laugh it up, shrug it off and enjoy the roar of your loud pipes. Maybe one day when the ringing in your ears doesn't go away or your loved ones get fustrated because they have to yell and repeat what they've said just so you can hear, maybe, just maybe you'll reflect back on this thread.

What I find funny is the number of those who take their hearing for granted and choose not to wear hearing protection. Tests show that even the quietest helmet (think it was a Shoei) produces around 100dB at highway speeds (60-70mph).

I'm probably waisting my time here typing this, but maybe one of you will change your mind. Meanwhile, I'll be wearing my ear plugs as part of my PPE (personal protective equipment).
What I find funny is the number of those who take their hearing for granted and chose not to wear hearing protection. Tests show that even the quietest helmet (think it was a Shoei) produces around 100dB at highway speeds (60-70mph).

I'm probably waisting my time here typing this, but maybe one of you will change your mind. Meanwhile, I'll be wearing my ear plugs as part of my PPE (personal protective equipment).

 

[Puggle]

I am a recording engineer, musician, busa rider and pilot...All very very loud environments- from a screaming stage to motorbike traffic and helmet wind noise, to vibrating aircraft engines, I work and play in loud environments.

At 24 I am acutely aware that if I am to save my hearing, I must do it now, not when I'm 40.

I've been using all manner of the stuff for about 5 years and can confirm that hearing protection does work, my hearing range is better than all of my colleagues, friends and wife.

USE HEARING PROTECTION! There is no reason to accept dull, muffled ear plugs either. Invest in proper plugs (linear attenuators).

These are like $15...cmon:
Etymotic Research, Inc. - ER?20 High Fidelity Earplugs

And these are even more comfortable but set you back around $150 in Oz.
Etymotic Research, Inc. - Musicians Earplugs

 

[Fastfrog007]

I just turned 66, so could you kids please speak up a bit!? I don't want to miss anything here!

SURE CAN

 

[BUBBA]

SURE CAN

I could hear you Okay but thought you said Slur Clan before I put on my glasses!

Getting old shucks,

 

[mikev7]

I am a recording engineer, musician, busa rider and pilot...All very very loud environments- from a screaming stage to motorbike traffic and helmet wind noise, to vibrating aircraft engines, I work and play in loud environments.

At 24 I am acutely aware that if I am to save my hearing, I must do it now, not when I'm 40.

I've been using all manner of the stuff for about 5 years and can confirm that hearing protection does work, my hearing range is better than all of my colleagues, friends and wife.

USE HEARING PROTECTION! There is no reason to accept dull, muffled ear plugs either. Invest in proper plugs (linear attenuators).

These are like $15...cmon:
Etymotic Research, Inc. - ER?20 High Fidelity Earplugs

And these are even more comfortable but set you back around $150 in Oz.
Etymotic Research, Inc. - Musicians Earplugs

im going to switch to those musician plugs. they must give off clear sound.

 

[vacivus]

They make cool new cochlear-implants so who cares. Just get ones that go extra loud. lol

Fixed.

 

[mikev7]

bump.