>wearing active noise canceling headphones for extended periods of time can be uncomfortable and even cause injury
Does anyone know what type(s) of injury is this referring to, how long is too long and how widespread/likely it is?
Does anyone know what type(s) of injury is this referring to, how long is too long and how widespread/likely it is?
I'm aware of how noise cancelling technology works it's by creating an opposing sound wave of equivalent energy to nullify the unwanted sound wave.
My theory is when I am off a call and I have the headset on my head with ANC enabled it's working to cancel the background noise. It's only needed on a call but it's obviously on all the time. These are not cheap headphones I've seen them for $300 so not cheap but I'm sure not the highest end.
I've tried taking them off, put around my neck, on my head between calls. But a few times I've fumbled them and hung up on someone or picked up before I was ready. My solution was to turn off ANC which made the sound clearer and my ears don't ring as bad as with ANC on.
My own anecdotal evidence but there is an obvious effect on my ears. I was about to go to the doctor the ringing was getting so bad.
I am assuming this is a fairly common feature for headphones? If so you might be able to switch models to one that has an off mode, if yours don’t.
IEM seal the ear canal causing a build up of moisture and ear wax that can lead to infection in some people.
That said, like with most IEMs, sleeves should be replaced sometimes (probably once a month or if you get any dirt on them—be careful with handling and don’t let that stuff get into your ear canal), so that should be factored in the price.
Which sleeves you choose makes a big difference—they are more or less the noise isolation part of IEMs, and they make or break your comfort when wearing. I swear by the combination of SE215 + Shure’s original black foam sleeves (or, if those cannot be obtained, Westone’s foam eartips). Passive noise isolation in this setup is better than ANC in AirPods Pro for me subjectively (although according to rtings.com’s measurements they go head to head), and is easy to wear for long periods of time.
(I guess I’m replying to thepostoffice but for the most part this is addressed to dghughes’s upstream post.)
The skin around ears have been super sensitive due to what I assume is just the natural heat build up from wearing headphones and pressure on skin not used to having pressure on it all the time. The skin is raw and irritated.
It's not terrible, but not comfortable for sure and has been limiting how much I can wear any over the ear or even on the ear headphones.
My bose quiet comfort are comfortable for maybe an hour or two before i even notice I am wearing them.
From there small in ear with noise cancelling can be good
If your ears stick out or are bigger you should really go to a best buy or music shop or whatever and try on cans until you find ones that fit
The Sightlines Gel Ear Pads from NoiseFighters is a popular option for earcup replacement.
The IceVents Classic Ventilated Headband from Qore Performance is a popular option for headband replacement.
Was this ever verified quantitatively? It sounds like the kind of thing that could easily be generated by group confirmation bias.
The only kind of injury I can think of is related to being less aware of your surroundings.
I wear Sennheiser HD1 M2's (with ANC) for ~8h/day, 5d/week, and have been for over 2 years -- with no discomfort or unwanted side- or after-effects. Ofc I'm careful about volume level, and I take frequent breaks from both screen and headphones (albeit for the sake of my eyes). I'm a healthy 47yo software architect by trade, also a lifelong musician and music afficionado. I care about -- and for! -- my ears and hearing, and would be grateful for any good links to credible sources (ie peer-reviewed scientific studies) which highlight hidden dangers or damage.