The European Commission is going to publish plans this week that will propose to limit the volume output on MP3 players and cell phones that are capable of playing music. The idea is that the current MP3 players and cell phones are able to play music at decibels that can do serious damage to a listener's ear."Campaigners say a safe listening level is below 85 decibels for 40 hours use a week, but some MP3 players play music at up to 120 decibels. Apparently Brussels wants the maximum decibel level to be reduced from 100 to 80 decibels, with all future music players built to the new standard."
An alternative to hard volume limiting is to place warning labels on such devices letting users know about the possible side effects of listening to loudly. Also proposed would be a software prompt that when volume is turned up to potentially harmful levels a prompt would appear letting users know of the dangers.
These proposals are a result of the EU scientific committee that suggested five to ten percent of users of portable MP3 players risked permanently damaging listeners ears.
120 decibels is like going to a ****ing concert and staying right in front of a speaker.
Anyway, that aside, isn't the decibel playback level very much part of the headphones spec as well? Like, if you have bigger fancier headphones and you want to use them, don't you generally need to turn up the "volume" up a little more than on your in-ear buds that came with your device, to reach the same level?
It depends on the headphones' sensitivity (SPL/1mW), not necessarily on the form factor.
Such as what? Screw with MS some more. Can't always pick on just one guy, man!!
A warning label? What good is that going to do. Any brain dead moron knows that cranking crap in your ears is gooing to effect your hearing! Duh!!
The original idea is to put a limitation, but if manufacturers really want higher volume they need to put warning labels.
And no, your last statement is bull****. Like the article says, 80dB won't affect your hearing. Do all 'brain dead morons' know the limit to good hearing?
Since in EU, most of the health system is public then, the more wealth is the population then the less the State spend money in treatment.
You underestimate morons.
lol +1
+1
Or the duration of your speech so you don't go more dumb.... I mean, go dumb from speaking too long.
Thats ridiculous... Ive had to send an mp3 player back before cos it simply wasnt loud enough, and no, I dont just like listening to things a full blast.. they are my ears, surely its my choice???
Except that you don't feel pain until about 118-120 dB, and if you listen at 100 on a regular basis, your hearing will be irreversibly damaged by the time you notice something's wrong. Cutting yourself with a knife is hard not to notice.
No, you don't know that. That's the problem. See also above -- you feel pain after you have started to risk hearing loss, and hearing loss is something that creeps onto you and you notice too late. I sure wouldn't mind a warning if I crank something up to 100 dB. Jeez, it's just a warning. More annoying things happen in this world.
I'm sure my Sony Ericsson phone already has that (with ringtones though and not the music playing features for some reason)
They aren't stopping you from listening to loud music. :p Prolonged exposure to 70 dB can lead to tinnitus, and this is a suggestion to have a limit at 80 dB.
+1
I wish they would. Look at how many millions alcohol realted incidents costs our health system each year.
I for one am pleased the EU took this decision.
+1
Cigarettes already have warning labels. And everybody knows the risks of alchohol or obesity.
But you don't know anything about hear loss. So stop your nonsense. EU is doing right this time.
But you don't know anything about hear loss. So stop your nonsense. EU is doing right this time.
When cars became affordable and public they had to make it illegal to not wear seatbelts, otherwice people wouldn't use it. Today seatbelts save 9,500 lives each year. Likewise I belive we need laws and heavy subsiditions (grammar sorry) to get atop the klimate issue today.
Yes, voluntarily by their own choice. Just one more thing the EU has to control for it's people rather than assuming that people can make their own decisions and run their own lives. How insulting for its people.
I think you overestimate their intelligence and that they're aware of this risk. I don't think they voluntarily want to damage their damn ears.
Yes, voluntarily by their own choice. Just one more thing the EU has to control for it's people rather than assuming that people can make their own decisions and run their own lives. How insulting for its people.
Voluntarily? Nobody knows what level of volume damages your ears. My phone already has a warning system, if I set it too loud it says that it 'may damage your hearing'. That is very helpful.
In related news: car manufactures should make cars that can not be driven over the legal speed limit. Irons and stoves should not be too hot so people can not burn themselves. And yeah - a bicycle should not be able to be ridden unless you have government approved safety equipment because - obviously - youth can not decide for themseves what is right and what is not.
We are if it means it will cost us less, and prevent us from getting hearing problems, should we or anyone else listen to their music too loud, accidently or through ignorance.
Buy a farking dialup modem.
The levels they set are always tied to the headphones that ship with the player.
If you swap the default headphones for a better pair, and it happens to be a pair that needs a lot more power to drive them (e.g. full-size cans usually need far more power than in-ear headphones) then you can't get the volume up to a decent level, and nowhere near the EU's maximium level.
the volume limit ruling could be supplemented with mandatory warning signs on all 3rd party headphones and stuff...
Limiting headphone decibel levels is another attempt at showing they can control their population, warning labels i can agree with, this gives the population at least some choice over their decision.
I wouldn't listen to music so loud if i could afford a good pair of noise cancelling headphones.
So we should also not limit car speed because that means they control us? You have no idea how stuff it should be, yet you brag because it seems bashing EU is cool nowadays.
They don't limit car speed directly in the way that they are proposing here, except maybe through voluntary agreements at very high speeds well above the statutory limits. Plus, speeding often affects more than just the person driving the speeding vehicle.
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