If you’ve read my blog before, you know I’m a major music lover. As I write, I’m listening to my iPod (drowning out the kids in the background, see previous blog entry on this!). I also love to have my music playing while I run on the treadmill. It takes me to another world so I can get through the rather monotonous cardio. However, as often as I listen to my iPod, I didn’t want to experience hearing damage, so I made an investment and had my custom earphones made to protect my ears.
The process was quite simple. I ordered the ProGuard fleximonitor kit and had an appointment at a local audiologist where they took impressions of my ear canals. I sent the impressions back in the pre-paid post box, and two weeks later, my custom earphones arrived.
I always had trouble with store bought earphones because my ears are small and the silly ear buds were constantly falling out, especially when I was running on the treadmill! The wrap around type were no better. My custom earphones fit perfectly because they were made based on my exact ear canal shape.
The music quality is amazing! I had no idea what I was missing. The reason we crank the volume up on personal music devices or stereos is because our ears don’t catch all the tiny electrical impulses. ProGuard fleximonitors capture every sound, minus the distortion, so you can listen to studio quality music without the damaging decibels!
However, comfort and quality was not the main reason I made the investment. In fact, the Royal National Institute for the Deaf (RNID) found that nearly two-thirds of young people listen to MP3 players at dangerous volumes. Okay, so I probably don’t qualify as a “young” person at 37 (or do I?), but apparently, I’m still young at heart enough to listen to my tunes at a level that could damage my hearing if I hadn’t purchased my custom earphones.
Yeah, I need to drown out the kids now and again so I can get my work done, but I wouldn’t want to miss the good, heart-warming sounds they make from time to time. So, I’m protecting my hearing so I can hear their giggles, funny jokes, and hopefully their own music someday! My daughter’s already playing clarinet, and I’m trying to convince my son that it’s never too early to begin playing guitar. Who knows? Maybe I have my own little budding rock star!
Cheers,
Meghan